Boy Soldier
by neldluva
Summary: This is my version Reno’s backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that’s life.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: R, NC17 in later chapters

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution,

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: The beginning and other such scene-setting business.

**Author's note**: Since I've become involved in the FF7 fandom, Reno has consistently been a character who intrigues me and begs for interpretation. So I wrote this to see what makes him tick. This is a departure from my usual style. It is very choppy and maybe even a little difficult to read, but that seems to fit. It also allows me to indulge my recent fixation on unhappy endings. So … yeah. Don't look for happiness, Reno's story doesn't have much of that.

I'd also like to say that this is just one interpretation, I know there are lots of other Reno stories out there that have him coming from different circumstances. Anyway. I hope you enjoy this interpretation!

**PS**: The title is from a song by The Raconteurs. No, this isn't a songfic, but I was listening to the song a few days ago and thought, "Well, it fits well enough that I can use it in the title." So I also don't own any Raconteurs songs, except for the ones I bought.

* * *

Reno was really fucking cold. That's why he hated winter … to other kids his age, winter meant hot cocoa and snowmen and wearing nice warm jackets. Reno didn't really have those luxuries. A cardboard box was all he could look forward to that night, maybe huddling up with some other orphans in attempt not to freeze.

In the whole scheme of things, he hadn't been at this orphan business very long. Not that he wasn't used to living by himself. With a dad that came home only long enough to grab more alcohol and slap him around a few times and a mother who preferred a stupor to real life, Reno had gotten used to caring for himself. Still, there is a big difference between four walls and a sturdy, if slightly squeaky, bed and a cardboard box.

Reno pulled his hood over his unruly bright red hair in attempt to keep his ears warm, breathing on his hands and curling up in the box. There was already a kid in there, so Reno pressed close to try to share some heat. He felt bony little fingers tight against his arm, and Reno turned his face down to breathe warm clouds against their legs.

His sixth birthday had been only a week ago.

* * *

By the time Reno passed his seventh birthday, he had found a new family, and with them he ruled the streets … at least, as much as a seven-year-old boy could. He remembered, vaguely, a time when his mother had had her mind about her, when she had read him a story of a boy who never grew up and ruled the world with his Lost Boys. Granted, Reno's world wasn't a paradise like that boy's had been. They had to steal their food and live in doorways and boxes, and there weren't any pirates to fight or fairies to save the day. But all in all, it wasn't that bad.

That is, until they started stepping on toes. An older boy with garish red marks on his face plucked Reno up one day as he was rushing from the scene of a pickpocketing. Reno, being the patriarch of his little clan, began shouting and cursing, kicking a storm at the taller boy. Unfortunately, his legs weren't quite long enough to do any damage, and it was only a moment before he was surrounded by more of the boys. And just as quickly as he had been dropped into the little warren of alleys, he was removed again.

The boys took him to a deserted building far away from Reno's little kingdom of urchins. The part of town Reno had been in wasn't the best, but it was nothing compared to this place … it glowed with neon signs promising things that weren't entirely legal. Everything was covered with a fine layer of grime, including the native inhabitants. But Reno stuck out his chin and crossed his arms, standing as tall as he could up to the older boys with the strange marks.

No one spoke until another boy entered the room. Though he looked no different from the others, he was clearly the ringleader, and Reno knew this was the one he would have to deal with.

"This the kid?" the boy asked over a cigarette. His voice was older than he looked. "What dump did he crawl out of, yo?"

Reno just stuck his chin out further. "You're messin' with my business."

The older boy chuckled and stomped out the cig. "He's got guts, though, for a fucking skinny kid. Good find. What's your name, yo?"

"Reno," Reno replied.

"You got parents? A last name?"

Reno shook his head. "Just the kids back at home. They need me. Take me back."

"Hey, I give the orders around here." The older boy slapped the back of Reno's head. "A kid with your spunk is just what we need around here. So I'm gonna make you an offer, and you're gonna say yes, okay? Or we're gonna kill ya."

Reno's jaw tightened. He didn't like the idea of agreeing to anything these boys wanted, but he didn't doubt that they would kill him. "Okay, what's this offer?" he asked, staring straight at the ringleader.

The boy spread his arms, smiling so the marks on his cheeks crinkled up. "This. You get to join the best motherfucking gang in Midgar. How 'bout it, kid? This is power, right here. You can get anything you want … drugs, booze, girls, whatever."

Reno wrinkled his nose slightly. He still wasn't tempted. But the boy to his left had a knife, and the one on his right had a gun. Reno nodded slowly, and he felt several large hands clap him on the back.

"Okay, kid, you're gonna be with Tiny Tim, here. He'll show you the ropes, yo. Tim, get your ass over here, you're with the kid."

Reno's eyes opened a bit wider … Tiny Tim was a mountain of a boy, rippling with the kind of muscle most adults spent years developing. He cracked his knuckles, looming over Reno and showing his teeth.

"You need me, I'm Bones," the ringleader said. "I run this here dump, yo. You got a problem with the way I do somethin', you tell it to your fat-ass dead mama cuz I don't give a flying fuck, okay? And there's no cryin' neither. If you cry, Tim's gonna punch you. And if Tim punches you, you don't wake up, got it, kid?"

Reno stood up even straighter next to Tiny Tim. "I ain't afraid of nothin'. It'll take more'n this hunk of meat to scare me, yo. And I don't cry neither. Why do all of you guys have marks on your faces?"

Bones leaned down, staring right into Reno's eyes so he got a good view at the marks. "Kid, you has to earn these motherfuckers. Talk to me in a few years and we'll see." He ruffled at Reno's bright hair, but Reno ducked out of the way and pulled his hood up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: R, NC17 in later chapters

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: Reno begins his initiation into the gang. Still not happy.

**Author's note**: Not much to say about this chapter. Except for the whole "I told you so" deal about the angst. My characters don't stay happy for long, but Reno's pretty tough. But then, that's the point of this story, right?

* * *

"That one?"

"Yeah, that one," Tiny Tim rumbled, peering over Reno's shoulder and pointing at a man across the street. "We had our eye on him a long time. Can you do it, or is you chicken?"

"I ain't chicken," Reno said, standing up and straightening his clothes. He pulled the hood over his hair, making him less visible, and crept through the crowd in front of the nightclub. He slid, smooth as oil, up to the target and snatched his wallet, rushing back to Tim's hiding spot and showing him.

"Good job, Red," Tiny Tim said, thumbing through the wallet for the most valuable pieces. "A few more like this and Bones might even let you have a blanket or somethin' tonight."

Reno flashed a brief smile and sat back to rest and wait for another victim. "Hey, Tim?"

"What, yo?"

"Why'd Bones pick me up off the street? There were a buncha other kids around."

"Cuz you're the best, right? Bones don't pick no one but the best. We heard you're pretty hot shit in your part of the town. You're a sneaky little fucker, you're good at snitchin' stuff. So you're good for the gang, yo. Anyway, you got a pretty face, Red."

"I ain't a girl."

"Yeah, but Bones likes pretty things. He don't care much if they're boys or girls. And he don't like girls in the gang. They mess stuff up."

Reno scuffed at his worn shoes and breathed on his hands. He wasn't sure exactly what Bones liked to do to pretty boys and girls, but he had some vague idea that he wouldn't like it. He was more determined than ever to prove himself an equal to the older boys, so when another man with money walked by, Reno was the one trailing him and plucking from his pockets.

By the time they returned to the lair, they were loaded with several wallets, a few watches, and a ring. Tiny Tim clapped Reno on the back, calling it a good night's work, and dumped the loot at Bones's feet. The older boy looked up, lifting the brim of the hat that had fallen over his eyes and chewing contemplatively on his cigarette.

"S'good, kid," he pronounced, thumbing through the spoils. "Good stuff." He tossed something at Reno, smiling through his cigarette. Reno picked it up, his eyes going wide as all he saw was naked women and huge breasts. He flipped through the magazine and saw more of the same.

Tiny Tim patted him on the back again and laughed. "It's the kid's first titty mag, give him a minute."

The rest of the boys pushed Reno back into a corner, tossed a blanket on him, and did as Tim suggested and left him alone. Reno gaped all the way through the magazine, wondering why all of these women would take naked pictures of themselves.

* * *

Reno snuffed out his cigarette and pushed the longer pieces of hair out of his eyes. He was crouched with the rest of his gang behind a line of knocked-over trashcans, waiting for any sign of movement across the street. He knew, and the rest of the boys knew, that it was only a matter of time before the other gang attacked. He blew on his hands and tucked his ragged clothes tighter … this winter was cold.

"Hey, Red," Tiny Tim said, coming up behind Reno and scooting in beside him. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Reno replied, eyes watching sharply across the street.

"It's your first fight, ain't it, yo?"

"Yeah."

"You'll do good." Tim had a nice big knife in one hand, and with all the muscle power behind it that knife would be able to sever bone. Reno tapped his own smaller knife and chewed the inside of his cheek, anxious for the fight to start and be done with.

It started slowly, each side testing the other out. With only five guns in the entire fight and not many bullets to spare, none of the firepower went to waste. Reno shut his eyes, hearing a few boys scream with pain and the bullets ricochet off the trashcans. Once both sides were sure the other was out of ammo, they both started to move.

Suddenly, the fight sped up, and Reno was distracted by his need to stay alive. He used his small, agile body to duck blows and kick out at ankles and knees, slicing here and there with his knife when he got a good angle. His hands were no longer cold, warmed by the activity and by the hot, sticky blood that covered them.

It had been only a few seconds and it had been an entire year by the time he stood up, wiping his hands on his pants. The other boys standing were from his gang, and he felt a rush of relief and victory. He fumbled for a cigarette and lit it, inhaling deeply and looking around for Tiny Tim … he had long since learned not to choke on the smoke.

"Tim!" he called, exhaling the smoke and kicking at a few bodies. "Tim, c'mon, yo! Get your motherfuckin' ass over here!"

"Hey, kid!" Bones called, swooping down and settling his arm over Reno's small shoulders. "Good work today! Let's go get boozed up, yo."

Reno pushed the arm away, still looking for Tiny Tim. "Where's Tim?" he asked, feeling his stomach drop a little.

"Tiny? He's, uh, over there." Bones waved off in the distance. "I seen it, took three of those mangy motherfuckers to take him down. He went out good, kid, don't worry about him."

Reno sniffed a little and wiped at his cold nose with his sleeve before taking another drag from his cigarette. "Yeah. Let's get boozed up," he agreed at last, shaking his hair into his eyes.

"An' then tomorrow, we can get you some tats, yo. You're a man, you're part of the gang now!"

Reno had just turned ten.

* * *

He spent the rest of the night cradling a beer, huddled in a dark corner of the bar where the more moral-minded patrons wouldn't notice him and rat him out to the authorities. The other boys in the gang had rounded up some of the girls who worked the streets nearby and were busy celebrating their victory in other ways, ways Reno still didn't really understand or take interest in.

One of the girls came over to him and sat close, ruffling at his hair and smiling at him. He smiled back a little and sipped at his beer, feeling the bubbles go all the way down … it felt cleansing. The girl giggled and called him cute, twirling at her hair and tugging her shirt down by the neckline. Reno shook his head and turned back to his beer, though he leaned a little against the girl. With Tim gone he felt lonely and he could pretend, just for a little while, that the girl cared enough to be his friend.

"Awww, look, he fell asleep! Isn't he precious?"

Reno batted at the hand in his hair and groaned, blinking in the sudden light. The girl from last night was smiling down at him, showing a gap between her front teeth and thick eye makeup. "You fell asleep, sweetie, I didn't have the heart to wake you up."

Reno sat up a little more so he wasn't leaning on the girl and saw Bones and his girl standing before them. "Get up, kid," Bones said, kicking at Reno's foot. "We've gotta get over to the parlor before fucking business starts. Thanks for looking over him, Lor."

The girl giggled and pushed Reno away. "Come find me in a few years," she said, pulling down her neckline again. "I'll be sure to fit you in, yo."

Reno stumbled after Bones, still yawning and trying to wake up. Bones laughed, abandoning the girl to clap Reno on the back. "Yeah, kid, I tell ya … in a few years, the ladies'll be all over you. Trust me, yo. You ready for this shit?"

"Yeah, I'm ready, yo," Reno said, sticking his chin out with determination. "I ain't a fucking kid no more neither."

"Yeah, sure, kid," Bones said absently, pushing open the door to a dimly lit shop with dingy windows. "You know the drill, eh? You're in the gang … _if_ you're alive next week."

Reno swallowed nervously. The needles used at Pete's were notorious for never being cleaned, and only the suicidal needle junkies made regular appearances – except for Bones's gang. It was a mark of pride to wear the tattoos, and not just because they meant you were in the gang. Only the truly lucky and strong survived the marks and the diseases that came with them.

But Reno kept himself from trembling as he climbed up on the chair that was made for someone much older. Bones handed over a wad of gil and lit up, smirking at Reno from down near his feet. Pete leaned over to inspect his new victim and size up exactly where the marks would go on Reno's skinny face.

"Young'un, Bones," Pete pointed out, rubbing at his grizzled face and spitting tobacco-stained spit. "You sure he's cool?"

"He's cool, yo. Just do it."

Reno squeezed his eyes shut, hissing with pain as he felt the needle. His ragged fingernails cut into the skin of his palms and drew blood, but he refused to scream or cry out. By the time Pete was finished, he was shaking and sweaty and tears had started to leak from his eyes.

"There," Bones said, holding up a dirty mirror for Reno to see the red marks now resting beneath his eyes. "Looks good, kid. Welcome to the gang."


	3. Chapter 3

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva

**Fandom**: FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: R, NC17 in later chapters

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: Reno makes a new friend, yay! But yar, here there be trouble brewin'…

**Author's note**: Um … let's see. As I was writing the next few chapters, I was listening to the soundtrack to Rent a lot. So you might see influence of that. I'd just like to say that Essie is one of my favorite OCs ever.

* * *

Reno got his first gun in the summertime. He was slightly annoyed at that. Dead people don't smell good period, but they stink worst in summer, with the heat making them bloat up and the flies attack. At least in winter they're mostly frozen and the flies aren't as much trouble.

So he did most of his practice on discarded cans and bottles he set up at a distance, sighting down the sleek little gun and blowing the things to pieces. From there he moved on to practicing on the stray dogs and cats that wandered the alleys. For these, he always made sure to pick up the corpses and toss them in a trash can … at least then they wouldn't be out stinking in the street. He hoarded a few gil from every pickpocketing job he did to save up for bullets, and Bones didn't even notice.

He was just about to drop a dead cat into the trash one day when he felt someone looking at him. He lowered the animal in by its tail, narrowing his eyes and feeling for the gun in his pants.

"Don't shoot!" he heard a quiet voice say, and he turned around to see a ragged boy about his age behind some bushes. He didn't have the marks of Bones's gang, so Reno kept his fingers on his gun.

"What's your name, yo?" he asked, still cautious.

"Essie," the boy said, holding tight to his hat and looking away from Reno's eyes. "I ain't gonna hurt you, I promise, I don't even got a knife, you can search me."

Reno blinked thoughtfully – that was a wise suggestion. He stepped up, still trying to look menacing even though Essie was a few inches taller, and felt around for a weapon. He patted up and down legs, hips, arms, chest … he jumped back a little, staring in shock.

"You're a _girl_!" he exclaimed bluntly.

"I ain't!" Essie said, though she pulled her hat down further to hide the blush on her cheeks. "I ain't!"

"Hell you ain't! Them's tits, yo." Reno's shock was quickly changing to curiosity. "Can I see 'em?"

Essie gave him a horrified look and wrapped her arms around her chest. "No!"

"Okay, I was just asking." He stared hard at her. "Well, whadya want? You're fuckin' followin' me."

She looked down at her feet shyly. "I – your hair's real bright. I was wonderin' if you … got any food. I ain't eaten in a while."

Reno narrowed his eyes again. "You part of a gang?"

"No, I ain't. I ran out from home cuz my daddy was beatin' on me."

"You a whore?"

Essie stared at him with shock and anger. "I ain't! Never will be neither. Don't need another guy treatin' me bad. That's why I'm dressed like a boy. Why you got them marks on your face?"

"Cuz I'm part of a gang," Reno said proudly. "C'mon, I can get you some food, but it ain't gonna be too good, yo. Put your hat down so you look like a boy."

Whistling a little, Reno sauntered off down the street, trusting Essie to follow him. She was the first girl he had met since Bones had plucked him up that wasn't a whore, and the first that wouldn't let him see her tits when he asked. That added up to automatic interest, and he couldn't wait to talk to her.

So he took her to a little café he knew where the food was cheap. The other customers barely gave them a second glance – they blended in with the torn vinyl seats and stained tables. Reno pulled out a few gil, wondering how much he could afford … not enough for him to eat too, but probably enough to take the edge off for her.

"Get a cheeseburger, yo," he suggested. "It ain't gonna kill ya, at least."

"Thanks," Essie said, blushing a little and pulling her hat down more. The waitress walked by, took their order, and left with the dull clacking of her heels.

"You're real sweet," Essie continued, staring at Reno and twirling some hair around her finger. "Why're you out here? Ain't you got parents?"

"Nah, my mom and dad was wasted when I was a kid," Reno replied easily, sipping at the water. "They had it comin', though, so it ain't too bad. My old man beat on me too, yo."

"That's too bad." Essie had a sympathetic look in her brown eyes. "There a buncha kids in your gang?"

"Yeah, but no girls," Reno said firmly. "Bones don't like girls in the gang. So you can't join. You gotta be a whore, that's what girls do out here."

Essie's face hardened angrily. "I told you, I ain't gonna! I can do like you! No one's gotta know I'm a girl."

Reno frowned a little, but before he could say anything the food arrived. Essie wolfed down the burger, hardly pausing to breathe, and Reno could only watch hungrily. Watching the girl eat that burger only served to remind him that it had been a long, long time since he had last had such a meal. He let her have it all, though, and didn't even try to steal a fry.

"It ain't gonna work," Reno said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Bones ain't gonna let you in the gang, an' if he does and finds out you're a girl, he'll kill you."

Essie looked at him, serious and intent. "What else am I gonna do? Be a whore? I'd die first. But … can we still be friends?"

Reno thought about it for a moment. He wasn't big on friendship, not since Tim died, and he had a feeling this girl was headed down a worse path. But she was nice enough, so he figured what the hell. "Sure, yo," he said with a smile. "You're cool with me."

Essie smiled brightly. Reno liked that her teeth were straight.

* * *

Contrary to what Reno had expected and feared, Bones didn't immediately see through Essie's disguise. Like Reno, he assumed that the dirty little person in front of him was a boy, and he congratulated him for finding a new member for the gang. Reno was, of course, assigned to "show him the ropes," so he led Essie out for a quick lesson in pickpocketing. She had never done it before, and once she nearly got them caught, but she did well enough to pass muster. That night, after dropping off their loot with Bones, they curled up under a blanket in Reno's self-announced little corner.

They got along well enough. Essie kept her secret, hiding beneath layers of dirty clothes and that tattered hat. She wasn't very good at pickpocketing, but Reno made up for the slack. He had more than enough reputation to keep any bullies away, and when reputation didn't work he had his new gun, but even so he started teaching her to fight.

"I ain't always gonna be there," he explained to her. "If some guy's fucking with you and I ain't there, you can beat him up just as easy as me."

Which is why Reno automatically knew something was wrong when he walked into the lair one day. Essie was backed up against a wall, tears making tracks down her cheeks. Her hat had been discarded, letting her long black hair down, and three of the older boys had closed in around her.

"C'mon, girlie, show us them pretty little titties…"

"We just wanna play, yo…"

"You leave her alone!" Reno shouted, diving at one of them and tackling him to the floor. He started punching for all he was worth, but the other two plucked him up and restrained him against his struggles.

"Reno," Bones said, walking up to the fight. Reno spat blood and looked at the gang leader out of the eye that wasn't swelling shut. It was seldom he heard his real name, and he was surprised Bones remembered it. "You know she was a girl, yo?"

Reno glanced at Essie. She was sobbing loudly now, covering her face with her hands and shaking. He wanted to shout at her to get up and fight, but he didn't dare. "No, I didn't know she was a girl," he answered sullenly. Why hadn't she fought harder?

Bones looked back and forth between them, his gaze sharp. "We don't let little whores in the gang," he said, loud enough that his voice echoed. "That's all girls is good for … bein' little whores. Listen up, girl, I got a deal for you." He walked up to Essie, pulling her head back by the hair. "I'm gonna put you on the streets, and you're gonna earn me a big wad of cash. In return, I'll let you stay here. Sound good, yo?"

Essie nodded as much as she could, tears still streaking down her face. Reno wrestled his arms away from the boys who still restrained him, rolling his shoulders. He was angry … no, more than angry, furious at Essie. She had given up so easily … what had happened to the girl who had promised him she would die rather than whore? Why hadn't she fought harder? Why hadn't she bashed their heads in?

He curled up beside her that night, still letting her share the blanket but keeping his back to her. He was still so angry with her that it hurt.

"Are you mad at me, Reno?" she asked quietly.

He could hear the tears in her voice. He wanted to lie and say no, but he couldn't force himself to do it. "Yeah. Ah, fuck it, I don't care … but you coulda fought. You coulda fought harder. I thought you was gonna die rather than whore."

He heard some quiet sniffles. "I … I couldn't. I didn't wanna die. Hey, maybe it won't be so bad? At least I get to stay here with you, right?"

Reno snorted quietly and drew his end of the blanket over his face.


	4. Chapter 4

**Attention: PLEASE read the warnings before reading the chapter! **

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: NC17 in later chapters

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, **sex **(of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, **underage sex,** **questionable consent**, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: This is the sex chapter. No really, this is the one with the sex in it. Not the last one, though.

**Author's note**: This was a really difficult chapter to write … I had to find some kind of balance between what was probably a really traumatic childhood experience, and also the fun, sex-loving Reno we know so well. I won't call this rape, but there's definitely some questionable consent here.

* * *

Reno sat in the corner of the lair, absently shuffling at a deck of cards. The cards had seen better days. They were all bent, all faded, and several were torn. But they were the only cards in the lair.

The other boys were lazing around, drinking through their supply of liquor and slowly fading into unconsciousness. The first snow of the winter was going on right outside the crumbling rotten walls of the lair, so their little family of pickpockets was inside. Business was horrible when the snow was bad, and it wasn't worth getting frozen over a few measly gil.

"Hey, kid," Bones said, stumbling up to Reno and leaning in until they were nose to nose. He smelled like cheap booze. "You ain't drinkin'?"

"Nah," Reno replied, shuffling again and letting the cards fall between his callused fingers. "I ain't up for it tonight, yo."

"Waitin' up for your little whore girlfriend?"

Reno glared hotly at Bones. "She ain't my girlfriend. And you made her the whore." He set the cards down and stared angrily at them.

Bones's fingers curled tightly over his shoulder. "She made herself the whore … I told ya, kid, girls is only good for whores." He squeezed a little harder, and Reno winced. "C'mon, kid, I got somethin' to show ya."

Reno abandoned the cards and followed Bones, knowing better than to refuse an order. Bones got what amounted to his own private room, being the gang leader, and Reno had never been in there before. It was smaller than he had expected, and dirtier as well. There were scraps of trash on the floor, crunching under their feet, but Reno's eyes were caught by the mattress. The best bed most of the gang could hope for was a pillow, maybe a blanket, but Bones had a real live mattress. Reno didn't care that it was sagging and had holes and a few visible springs, it was a mattress.

"C'mere," Bones said, stretching out on his bed. Reno bounced over to test it for himself, noting happily that it was well and truly a mattress.

"Like it, kid?" Bones asked, an amused grin on his face.

Reno nodded and sprawled back beside Bones. "I ain't been in a bed in years, yo … forgot how nice it was." He was still grinning at the unexpected treat when, all of a sudden, Bones grabbed him by the neck and stuck his tongue in his mouth.

Reno gasped and made a startled sound, freezing automatically against Bones's grip. The older boy's fingers were tight in his hair, silently telling him not to struggle. The tongue moved around his mouth, scraping along his teeth and the insides of his cheeks. It felt weird, and Bones tasted of whatever he had last eaten.

Reno wasn't a stupid boy. He'd seen more than enough kisses and looked at more than enough porn to know what was happening. Hell, he'd even seen two guys going at it in a dark corner once. Still, being on the receiving end was a new and strange experience. It seemed like hours had passed before Bones pulled away, licking his lips and staring at Reno with half-lidded eyes.

"What's the matter, kid? You look like your dead mama came back to haunt ya." The fingers on the back of Reno's neck started massaging.

Reno swallowed nervously. "Nah. Just … uh…"

"Yeah, I know, cool your jets, yo. This is gonna feel real good, okay? Take your shirt off."

Reno sat up, hastily pulling off his shirt and shivering a little. Bones's gaze was too intense, practically burning a hole in him, but that didn't change the fact that it was really cold in the lair. Bones pushed him down on his back, covering his mouth again and sliding on top of him. Reno slowly opened his mouth, and Bones made a noise that sounded happy, so Reno figured he was doing okay. He felt the older boy's hands wander up and down his chest, lazily stroking his nipples, and he started to get uncomfortable. There was something low in his stomach, tingling oddly, and he wasn't sure if he liked it or not.

"What's wrong, yo?" Bones asked, backing off and licking at Reno's chin.

"Feels weird," Reno said with a frown.

"Like you been drinking something bubbly, all low down here, kinda tickly?" Reno nodded. "That's how it's supposed to feel. It'll get better."

So Reno laid back and let Bones do … whatever he was doing. After a while, it did start to feel good, and his squirming became driven by that odd tickling feeling low in his gut. He wasn't quite sure if he wanted it to go away or get stronger, but with Bones's attention it only got stronger. He felt the older boy start to fumble with his pants, and he stilled, holding his breath.

Bones started groping him, feeling at a place no one had touched before. Reno bit his lip – the touch wasn't gentle, but it was making the odd tingle grow stronger, and he was a little startled to see that he was hard. Bones laughed at the confusion on his face and kissed him again, rubbing up against his thigh.

"Hold still, kid," he grunted, shimmying out of his own clothes. "You know what goes where, right? It's gonna hurt a little, but then it's gonna feel real good, okay?"

"Kay," Reno said with a small voice. He wasn't at all sure he wanted to do all that he'd seen those two guys doing. A cock up his ass was going to hurt like a son of a bitch. Still … Bones had never lied to him, and if he said it would feel good, then it would feel good. Reno was starting to long for more of that great tingling feeling that had started to fade while Bones was undressing.

Soon enough, they were back to kissing and groping and rubbing. Experimentally, Reno reached out to touch Bones, and to his surprise the older boy groaned loudly in his ear. Before he could try it again, though, Bones flipped him over onto his stomach and hauled his hips up. Reno pushed himself onto his elbows to ease the strain on his back, glancing behind him to see what was happening next. He didn't get a good view, but he knew what was going on when he felt a slick finger slide with no explanation up his ass. He clenched instinctively, wanting it _out_, it felt strange, but Bones was having none of it. He pushed another finger in, and Reno hissed when it stung.

"Thought you said this felt good, yo," he grated out, glaring at Bones as best he could and shifting his hips unhappily.

"Shut up, kid … fuck, you're so fucking sexy like this, hold on just a little longer…"

Reno clenched his teeth shut and squeezed his eyes closed. A third finger didn't make anything feel better, and he was starting to doubt Bones's promise. But what could he do with his hips stuck up in the air, with Bones shoving his legs further apart, with that cock pressed up against him and _oh gods it was inside_. Reno bit at his lip, tasting blood, and fought not to scream. He knew pain, but this was different from the pain of the tattoos or getting sliced by a member of an enemy gang. This hurt deep, something he couldn't stop or fight.

"Oh fuck, oh shit, so fucking tight, kid you feel so good, fuck…" Bones muttered a string of obscenities into his ear and kissed at the back of his neck. Reno shivered, wishing it were all done so he could go back to sleep in his corner. He concentrated on breathing deeply, chasing the pain away with sheer willpower. After a little while, it started to recede slightly, and he nodded at Bones.

"I'm still waiting for it to get good, yo," he croaked.

"Yeah, baby, oh yeah, it'll get good for you." Reno felt Bones take a deep breath, then slowly start to move. He winced … movement hurt, though not quite as much as the first stuff. He slowly got used to it, though, and soon enough Bones did a neat twist of his hips that did something to make Reno shriek and pant into his arms. To Reno's great surprise, he started pushing back against the older boy, searching for more of that fire that scorched his insides and made that tingly feeling boil into something that he couldn't control.

Bones started moving faster and reached around, stroking at Reno again and moaning into his ear. "Come on, come with me baby, so fucking sexy, you like that, sexy baby…" The words trailed off into an incoherent groan, and Reno felt the body behind him go still as the cock inside him jerked. Bones's hand took up the rhythm, though, stroking hard until Reno was arching his back and shouting into his arms. His entire small body felt emptied out, lax in the aftermath of intense, mind-blowing pleasure. He only distantly registered Bones rearranging himself on his side on the mattress.

Reno curled right up, making a quiet contented noise and wrapping himself around the older boy. He heard a quiet chuckle above him and a hand ruffling at his hair.

"You're good, kid," Bones muttered. "And yeah, you can sleep here for tonight."

But Reno was already mostly asleep, warm and content and satisfied. What a way to celebrate a twelfth birthday.

* * *

When Reno woke up, he was sore. Really sore. He groaned, clenching his fists and trying not to move and make the pain worse. Bones shifted a little and sighed as he woke up, petting at Reno's hair. Sometime during the night he'd tossed a blanket over them both, so at least Reno wasn't cold.

"You hurtin', kid? Here, have some of this, it'll help a little."

Reno took the offered bottle of whiskey and gulped, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. The alcohol helped take the edge off the pain, and finally he was able to sit up, scratching at his hair and yawning.

"That felt good, yo," he said with a smile, his voice slightly hoarse from shouting the night before. "We can do it again?"

Bones smiled back and sipped at the whiskey. "Yeah, we can do it again, yo. C'mon back tonight and I'll show you more. Go on and steal some fuckin' food. You're skinny, kid."

Reno pulled his clothes back on and nodded, smiling once more before walking with only a slight limp out of Bones's room. A few of the older boys were lurking outside, and one of them slid up to stand in front of Reno. Reno glared back sleepily, feeling too tired and sore to put up with much posturing.

"Never thought you'd go whore on us, kid," the older boy said, looming over Reno. "You the boss's main squeeze, now? Gettin' all kinds of favors?"

"Fuck off," Reno said, lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag. "You wanna see if Bones'll give ya somethin' nice, go fuck him yourself. But get outta my face, yo."

"Maybe I wanna fuck you," the boy said, making to put an arm around Reno's waist.

Before the boy's hand could even arrive at its destination, though, Reno had his knife poised to slide right between his ribs. "Touch me," he said calmly, taking another drag from his cigarette, "and I'll chop off your balls and stuff 'em down your throat. Then I'll pull off all your fingers an' leave you out for the rats and dogs all covered in your blood. You get it, yo?"

The boy nodded nervously, pulling his hand back. "I got it. Sorry, yo."

Reno tucked the knife back into his pants and went to his corner, looking down to where Essie was curled up in their blanket all by herself. She was still wearing her makeup and clothes from the night before, though her bright eyeshadow had started to smear. He knelt and pulled the blanket up to her chin and touched her hair before getting up to pick a few pockets and find some food.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva

**Fandom**: FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: NC17

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: As promised, another sex chapter. This one with a girl. Enjoy!

**Author's note**: I wrote this because I can't see Reno as gay or straight … the guy isn't just bisexual, he's omnisexual. He's just as cool with girls as with guys, I think. And this was far easier to write than the last chapter because, while it isn't the romantic mushy sort of lovemaking, it's consensual on both sides.

* * *

There were really only so many things Bones could show him, Reno decided after a while. The guy just didn't know enough to make him happy. And Reno had discovered that he really, really liked sex. There was one particular part about sex that Bones just wouldn't be able to show him, and that was sex with a girl. Fortunately, Reno had no shortage of girls around him who knew a hell of a lot about sex.

His mind first jumped to the strippers who worked in the bars close by and liked to invite him backstage. He was still young enough and small enough that they didn't see him as a threat, and they liked to put him up in front of the mirrors while they got ready backstage. They didn't even mind walking around him naked … he never leered at them the way the men did or tried anything funny. The only problem with them as Reno saw it was they were all older, in their late teens or twenties, and could afford to be more selective in their partners than the streetwalkers.

So that left the streetwalkers. He didn't hang out much with them, except for Essie, because they were mean about their business. They didn't let boys near them unless they were paying, and if they were off-duty they were asleep. Even Essie spent most of her time sleeping if she wasn't working. Still, Reno could think of one or two who owed him a favor or who had looked at him the right way. And there was one name at the top of his list.

"Hey, any of you girls know Lor?" he asked a few of the whores as he walked along the sidewalk.

"Fuck off, creep." "Get away, you're ruining business, yo."

He wasn't fazed, though. It was only a matter of time before he found Lor. He'd seen her a few times since she'd first kept him company after Tim's death, so he knew she wasn't dead. And where else would someone from the slums go?

Finally, he caught sight of her dirty blonde hair. He strolled right up to her, trying to play it cool and waiting for her to recognize him. She was about to tell him off like all the rest of the girls when a smile spread over her face, showing her familiar gap teeth.

"Hey, Red, I thought I wasn't gonna see you again," she said, swaying her hips as she walked up to him. "Long time no see."

"Yeah," Reno agreed, grinning his usual grin at her. "I grew up."

"Yeah, I saw," she said, touching the mark on his right cheekbone. "You're Bones's boy now. Looks good on you, Red."

Reno shrugged like it didn't matter and gazed up at her. "So, I was thinkin' … you and me could … you know."

Lor raised her eyebrows and giggled, making her look younger. "Wow, you thought of me? You're a real sweetie, you know." She batted her eyes and twirled at her hair. "I ain't busy now…"

"Me neither," Reno said, trying to look like he knew what he was doing. He followed her down an alley and pressed her up against the wall, standing up on his toes so he could kiss her. Kissing was one thing he knew how to do with girls, and she seemed to agree, wrapping one leg around his hips and pressing her soft curves against him. He was well acquainted with the slow fire that filled his veins, so he pressed back, letting her know he was ready.

"You been with a girl before?" Lor asked quietly, removing her hands from his neck to shuffle at her clothing. Reno shook his head and kissed her again. "The thing you gotta know, if you're gonna give a girl a good time, is how to find her good spots."

She took Reno's hand and slid it under her skirt, pushing his fingers against the folds of her skin. He gasped quietly and started exploring, pressing and sliding and entering. He was a little surprised to find her wet, but she nodded her pink-cheeked face at him to continue. So he kept rubbing, lightly enough that he didn't hurt her but hard enough that she started making happy little moany sounds.

She hastily unfastened his pants and stroked him a few times, kissing him nicely and tilting her hips towards him. At another small nod, he started to push up into her. He gasped again … she felt hot and wet and wonderful. She moaned a little, so he reached up, cupping her breast and squeezing it tentatively to make her moans louder. He needed little more guidance, his body picking up an instinctual rhythm within her. It was over more quickly than he would have liked, but it was undoubtedly a very good end. She pressed his head against her neck and kissed at his hair, slowly unwrapping herself and pushing him away a little to arrange her clothing again.

"That was good, Red," she said appreciatively, smoothing at her hair. "You're gonna be real good at that one day, yo. But that's your last freebie … you always wear rubbers, okay? You don't wanna get sick."

Reno started arranging his clothing as well, tucking and wrapping and looking at her out of the corner of his eyes. She looked older than she had been a few years ago, with lines around her mouth that he didn't remember and a tiredness to her eyes. He embraced her gently once they were both clothed again and thanked her quietly. It just seemed like the right thing to do, but she looked surprised before she went back to the street, looking over her shoulder at the red-haired boy in the dark alley.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: NC17

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: Reno … experiments. And there's a Turk scout. Yay, destiny!

**Author's note**: And … more of listening to too much Rent. Because it took me months to learn that Mimi wasn't a whore, just an exotic dancer. But there is plot, see? Right there at the end. Progress at last!

* * *

Reno shivered and shook, coughing and trying not to vomit as he lay huddled under a blanket. The blanket had been Essie's doing. Technically, so was the shaking and vomiting, but he tried not to think about that. He pressed his fevered forehead against the wall, trying to forget about the discomforts of his body.

"Dammit, Red, you're stronger than this," he whispered, holding his arms tightly.

He'd started using a few months ago, right about the time he'd started blowing guys in back alleys to earn extra money for the drugs. It had been Bones's fault, the way everything seemed to be these days. He'd made Reno roll up his sleeve and tied him off, sliding the needle into a vein and showing him the best rush of his life. Reno was hooked … it was practically better than sex. He started turning tricks to afford his own drugs, though at Bones's insistence he only used his mouth – his ass was off-limits, though Bones was plenty happy to help Reno get over his gag reflex.

"I don't like it, Reno," Essie had said to him when she found out, pursing her red-painted lips. "Whorin' ain't work for a guy like you. And the girls say smack's a bad idea too, yo."

Reno had brushed her off, though. He didn't mind the whoring. It was his choice to do it, and he'd be having sex with Bones anyway. There wasn't that much of a difference, so he kept it going.

It took months before Essie got worried enough to actually step in and do something. She took Reno aside and told him she couldn't watch him get any skinnier and pointed out that his hands were shaking too much to use his gun anymore. It had taken some convincing but she won, as she always did. So she took away his needles and his money and sat and _watched_ him to make sure he wouldn't leave to get more drugs. After a few hours the shaking began, and then he started puking.

The symptoms had started to subside by the time Essie had to go to work, but that didn't make it any easier. Reno was determined to get off the drug. He could feel it killing him, but an addiction was an addiction. It was only a combination of concern for Essie and his own willpower that let him start to kick it.

When Essie came back that night, he was still shaking and covered in sweat. He'd managed to doze on and off for most of the night, and fortunately the nausea had faded into an uncomfortable twinge once in a while. Or that could just be because his stomach was empty.

"Hey, sweetie," Essie said, brushing the sweaty hair off his forehead. "How you feelin', yo?"

"Like shit," Reno replied through chattering teeth.

Essie smiled as gently as she could. "You're kickin' it, Reno. I know you can do it, you're tough, you're the toughest guy I know."

Reno nodded tiredly, not quite agreeing but taking some comfort in her confidence. "You want the blanket? I don't mind, yo."

"You keep it, you need it more than I do."

Reno would have protested, but she had already curled up and fallen asleep, one hand tucked under her chin. Trying to keep his shaking to a minimum, he pressed close to her and tossed the blanket over them both.

It took a few weeks before the shaking calmed enough for him to shoot with his former proficiency. The craving lasted much longer, but he kept his distance from needles after that. Ignoring the fact that Essie might have gutted him if he started using again, he didn't feel like suffering the long slow death of the junkie.

He still turned tricks once in a while. It was a nice easy way to earn some extra money, for when he felt like finding food better than what was in the dumpsters or when he wanted decent cigarettes instead of the crappy dirty ones Bones supplied. He didn't do it much, though. Whoring was exhausting work, and he found out quickly why the girls all slept so much in their free time. So he limited himself to once a week, at most, and saved the rest of his time for pickpocketing and practicing with his gun.

* * *

Monty adjusted the view slightly on his binoculars and shifted to relieve a stiff neck. He'd been watching the gang war avidly for the past hour, and it was finally winding to a close.

His colleagues laughed at him for hanging out in the slums. It was true, they were no place for a civilized man wearing an expensive suit, but it was Monty's personal opinion that the kids in the slums had the potential to become fantastic Turks. They had the kill-or-be-killed mentality that would make the best fighters. After all, Monty thought with a tired sigh, beggars couldn't be choosers. There had been a steady decline in Turk applications and acceptances over the past few years. Kids these days just weren't tough enough, and if they were, they wanted to be SOLDIERs.

His eyes had rested for most of the hour on one particular streetrat. The kid had started off the fight behind the line of overturned trash cans, shooting at the opposing gang with amazing skill, even with the crappy little gun he'd managed to find. Monty continued watching the kid when the fighting turned more up-close-and-personal. He was young and had a small build, but he compensated with being flexible and strong, striking out where he could and finding his enemy's weakness. At one point the kid's hood had fallen off, so Monty was able to keep track of him by his bright, crazy red hair.

By the end of the fight, the redhead kid was one of the few boys standing. He waved at his friends and shouted, and the rest of the boys rushed over to congratulate him. Monty snorted quietly. The redhead kid had no doubt been the reason they won the fight, so no wonder they liked him so much.

Monty smiled to himself. He had just found their next Turk candidate.


	7. Chapter 7

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva

**Fandom**: FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: NC17

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: Reno intersects with destiny for real this time.

**Author's note**: I feel sorry for Bones in this chapter. I think he really does care about Reno, he's just been sort of twisted and warped by the streets into something not to pretty. Still, destiny is destiny. This is one of my favorite chapters because Reno gets to kick ass.

* * *

Reno walked out of the alley, yawning a little and wiping at his mouth with his sleeve. It was morning, and that meant it was quitting time. He had a big wad of cash hidden on him, most of it earned from blowing guys in that alley the whole night and the rest of it stolen from the same guys. He was looking forward to sleeping the day away then going out to get a nice dinner to fill his stomach.

He froze once out of the alley, though. There were three suits across the street, all of them deliberately not looking at him. He narrowed his eyes. Nobody wore suits on the streets, it was practically begging to be pickpocketed or worse. Unless they were packing enough firepower to scare off any would-be mugger, which made them too dangerous for Reno to mess with. In any case, he would be best off ignoring them and losing them as quickly as possible.

He started off back to the lair, walking casually but a little faster than usual. He stuck his hands in his pockets, feeling for his knife and listening closely for the sound of footsteps in pursuit.

"Shit, he saw us," Monty said, watching behind his shades as the kid picked up his pace. "Follow him."

He and the other two Turks dove into the crowd, keeping their eyes on the kid's bright hair. Venus had her hand on her gun, but Monty shook his head. They didn't want to injure him, just to bring him in. She eased off and sped up with her partner, Turner, to intercept the boy before he could disappear completely.

"Hey kid," Turner rumbled, grabbing Reno's arm to slow him down. "We want to talk for a sec."

"Let go," Reno said, pulling a bit at his arm. The guy was pretty big, and he couldn't get a decent shot at any spot that would actually hurt him. He decided to play it cool until he could escape. "It's morning. That means I'm off duty. Come back next week, I'll fit you in, yo."

Venus came up on Reno's other side, narrowing her eyes. "We don't want sex, kid. We're here to give you the offer of your life."

Monty put his hand on Turner's shoulder, and the grip on Reno's arm loosened. Reno tugged himself free, crossing his arms sullenly at the three suits. He was tired and hungry and not in the mood for messing with these guys.

"You shoot pretty good with that gun, kid. What's your name?" Monty asked, trying to be nice.

Reno's first blow went to the woman's solar plexus, hitting her hard with his bony elbow and making her double up. His second went to the big guy's foot, the third to his groin. The fourth and last went to the smoothtalker's nose, and then he started running, leaving the three suits gasping and groaning unhappily. Venus was already reaching for her gun again, but Monty waved her hand down, trying to staunch the flow of blood from his nose.

"We're not going to shoot him," he said, wincing at the pain and knowing his nose was broken. "We'll get him later. But hey, I told you he was tough."

Venus and Turner glared at him as they walked back to their car.

* * *

Reno skidded back into the lair, breathing hard and leaning against the wall. "Fuck," he whispered to himself, and it made him feel better. "Fuck!"

"What's up, yo?" Essie asked, looking up at him from where she was cleaning off her makeup from the night before. "You look like you ran a mile."

Reno lit up a cigarette, taking a deep drag to calm himself. "Some suits were after me," he explained shortly. "I beat 'em up, though, and I ran away. My guess is they were packin' some pretty heavy shit, I'm surprised they didn't shoot me."

"Why were they after you?" Essie asked, looking worried. "You do somethin' real bad?"

Reno shook his head and took another drag. "Nothin' worse'n usual." He passed the cigarette down to Essie. "I hope they don't try anything again, yo."

"Me too," Essie agreed, pulling back her dark hair. "How do I look, yo?"

"Pretty," Reno said, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "I'm gonna go sleep, I'm wiped."

She nodded and stood up, leaving him to their corner. "I'm going out with some of the girls for a little breakfast, but I bet I'll be back soon. I'm wiped too." She bent down and kissed his cheek softly. "Sleep good, Reno."

Reno had only just started to doze off when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Fuck off, yo," he mumbled, turning over to escape the hand.

"Wake up, babe," Bones whispered in his ear.

"Bones?" Reno asked fuzzily, wiping at his eyes. "Hey, can it wait? I'm tired."

Hands grabbed his shoulders, turning him to look Bones in the face. He looked angry, and that made Reno frown. "Tired, tired, you're always tired, babe," Bones said with a growl. "Cuz you're always out all night fucking those guys. You don't fuck me no more, yo."

Reno narrowed his eyes and twisted out of Bones's grasp. "So find someone else, it ain't hard for you."

Bones growled again and gripped Reno's shoulders hard enough to bruise. "I don't want no one else … you've got the best damn ass I've ever had, babe. I ain't lettin' you go."

"Fuck _off_!" Reno shouted, planting his knee in Bones's stomach and wriggling away. "I'm tired, okay? An' I need the money."

"Oh yeah?" Bones asked, recovering quickly and backing Reno into the corner. "You make a big wad of gil tonight? I bet you did, I bet you sucked so much cock … you like it, huh? You like it when they fuck your mouth, that's how you make so much."

"Shut up!" Reno kicked Bones hard in his shin and escaped from the corner. "It ain't like that!"

"Gimme your money," Bones demanded, getting close again so he could loom over Reno. "C'mon, you make so much, share a little. Otherwise why you suck so much cock?"

"Fuck off, it's mine!" Reno drew himself up to his full height, but he was still smaller than Bones. With one hand he reached for the knife in his pocket, ready to defend himself if he needed to. Before he could even move, though, Bones gripped him roughly by his tail of red hair and forced him to his knees.

"Show me how you earned it," he demanded, rubbing against Reno's face. "Show me how you sucked those motherfucking sons of bitches, show me how you liked it so bad you had to keep going back…"

Reno gritted his teeth and swallowed nausea, trying to ignore the pain of having his hair pulled. Bones's free hand was fumbling at the fly to his pants and pulling them down, while the one in Reno's hair just shoved his face deeper. Taking a deep breath, Reno slid the hilt of the knife into his hand and thrust it up, slicing across the main artery in Bones's groin. Bones let go with a cry of pain and disbelief, causing some of the other boys to look up from their daytime beds.

But Reno didn't give Bones a chance to fight back. He sliced at the other thigh, and more hot blood poured over his hands. The older boy collapsed, clutching at himself in attempt to stop the blood and staring at Reno with a disbelieving look on his face. Reno gripped the knife harder, managing not to lose his grip in the slippery blood, and sat firmly on Bones's chest. He batted the hands away, put the knife to Bones's throat, and cut straight across. Bones made a few sputtering, helpless noises before he went quiet and still. Reno didn't stand until the body beneath him had stopped moving, dropping the knife on the ground and rubbing at his hands. The blood had turned sticky and wouldn't come off. He spat, and the spit got some of the blood off.

"Hey … uh, kid," one of the other boys said. Reno could hear fear and nervousness in his voice, saw it in his eyes when he looked at him. "You…"

"You saw it, yo," Reno replied, his voice hoarse. "You saw what he was gonna do. Fucking bastard deserved it. Fuck, the blood won't come off."

He ran out of the lair, looking for a source of water to wash off. There was a spigot hanging off a building, and the water wasn't that clean, but it was enough to get the blood off his hands. There was a lot of blood, too much blood, on his clothes, and he groaned. Though the authorities below the Plate were lax, it was unlikely he would go unnoticed. Somebody was bound to bring him in, covered in blood as he was, and he had no other clothing. He shuddered and wrapped his arms around himself, sitting down in the little space between the two buildings to think about what to do.

The other guys from the gang knew better than to come after him, especially after that display inside. He was frightening to them, and no one had the balls or the loyalty to Bones to stand up and say anything. Still, it was too dangerous to go back to the lair, back to the body. It was too likely someone would rat him out. He thought then of Essie and what she would think, but the last thing he wanted was to involve her in this mess. Best he go somewhere far away where the authorities wouldn't touch him and Essie wouldn't try to save him.

He got up, wandering along back alleys and deserted streets in no particular direction other than "away." He still had his cash he'd earned from the night before, he was set for a little while. He just had to worry about staying quiet, staying undercover, until people started to forget. And they always forgot, death was too common to dwell on it for long.

He was too distracted by plans of what he would do to notice the sleek black car approaching from behind him. In fact, he only noticed he was being followed when strong hands tugged him back into the car and held him still while a strong set of handcuffs was clipped on. That didn't stop him from kicking and shouting his head off … kidnapping was not how he wanted to end this fucked-up day.


	8. Chapter 8

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: NC17

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: A further introduction to the Turks. I just have to say … I love Tseng. Yup.

**Author's note**: This was a fun chapter to write. That's about it. I just really like stuck-up Tseng.

* * *

Monty walked up to the interrogation room, still feeling at his recently Cured broken nose. Turner was standing outside – to Monty's surprise, he had been the first to volunteer to babysit the brat and make sure he stayed in the room and out of trouble.

"Is he calmed down yet?" Monty asked, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"Yeah … the little shit's smokin' away. I tried to tell him it was a non-smoking room and he laughed." Turner narrowed his eyes skeptically. "We want this kid for a Turk? I pity his partner."

"Beggars can't be choosers," Monty said with a little smile. "We'll see if he passes training. Call Tseng and Veld and make sure they're here to watch."

Turner nodded shortly and swept off, leaving Monty alone in the hallway. Monty took a deep breath and twisted the knob.

As expected, the redhead kid was sitting calmly at the table, enveloped in a cloud of smoke. Monty suppressed a smile. Perhaps they should have taken his cigarettes away when they were searching him, but the gun had been the more important item. The kid smiled at him, but there was nothing childlike in the expression. Monty just lifted his eyebrows. He'd had to stare down tougher guys than this little runt.

"Hey, anyone gonna tell me why I'm here, yo?" the kid asked, putting his feet up on the table. "I didn't do nothin'."

"Oh, is that right?" Monty asked, thumbing through a thick folder. "Then it wasn't you who killed Alexander DeVrie, alias Bones, earlier this morning?"

The kid's eyes turned a little colder, but he didn't let anything slip. Smooth. Monty glanced back at the one-way mirror, knowing Veld and his second-in-command, Tseng, were watching.

"But we're not here to talk about what you've done," Monty said, setting the folder on the table and sitting across from the kid. "You ever heard of the Turks, kid?"

"The name's Reno, yo."

"Okay, then, Reno. The Turks are ShinRa's special command. We aren't SOLDIERs, we don't receive the Mako injections and we don't fight wars. We win them. We perform a variety of tasks, including surveillance, investigation, assassination … as well as the occasional bodyguard job for President ShinRa and his son. We get to use toys that make this little thing look like a peashooter." He dropped Reno's gun on the table, staring steadily at him. "We want you to join the Turks."

Reno sat back thoughtfully, looking at the cigarette in his hand. "What's in it for me?"

"You get to live here, on the Plate, rather than in the slums. ShinRa is more than willing to provide for your every need … food, shelter –"

"Sex?"

"Perhaps." Monty let a small smile curl his lips. "You would join an intensive training program designed both to prepare you for being a Turk and to test you. You would receive an education in all areas, including vehicle and firearm handling and explosives." He raised his eyebrows again. "Sound interesting?"

Reno narrowed his eyes. "You mean … I get to stay up here, and I get to shoot things and blow shit up?"

"Yes, in addition to other, more grueling tasks. Becoming a Turk is not easy, and not everyone is made for it. But I have seen you in action, Reno, and I think you could have what it takes. At least it would get you off the streets for a while."

Reno thought hard, trying to find a down side. The most obvious one was that he would have to leave Essie behind, alone and unprotected. That didn't sit well with him, but he couldn't exactly go back to her anyway, not after killing Bones. But otherwise, he couldn't care less about what happened to the losers back in the slums.

"Okay, you got yourself a deal, yo," he said at last, finishing off his cigarette and snubbing it against the table.

"Perfect," Monty said, smiling wider. "Come on, Reno, let's get you bathed and checked out, and then you can eat."

Reno matched the smile and stood to follow the suit. "Hey, why else you think I agreed?"

* * *

"What do you think, Tseng?"

"I don't like it, sir. That boy is a good-for-nothing streetrat. Gutter trash. He was a prostitute. The only reason Monty picked him up is because he saw the kid shoot some other boys in a gang war." Tseng's features pinched into themselves with his displeasure. "Not Turk material."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Veld replied. "From Monty's description and our own observations, he seems very resilient. He did survive in the slums."

Tseng frowned deeper. "We both know that Monty's mental faculties haven't been the same since Brenna's death. He should be sitting at a desk, not attempting to recruit." He shifted his feet and stared at the still-smoking cigarette butt. "That child is nothing but trouble, sir. I do not feel he should be allowed to participate in training."

"He will go through the training, Tseng," Veld said firmly. "If he passes … well, you may be working with him in the future. Try to accustom yourself to the possibility."


	9. Chapter 9

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: NC17

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: More Turk stuff. Reno gets a checkup.

**Author's note**: Um … I mostly bluffed my way through the medical stuff. It sounded logical.

* * *

"Here are the showers," Monty announced, opening a door for Reno. "Take as long as you like. There are dispensers for soap and shampoo along the walls. We have already taken the time to assess your size, so here are some fresh clothes. Get used to wearing them, you won't be wearing much else for a few years."

Reno had already wandered into the shower room, slightly amazed at all of the shiny fixtures and bright white tile. It was such a clean place, it made him want to clean up right then and there.

"They got hot water?"

"Of course. Take your time, I'll be waiting outside."

Reno watched the door shut and hastily stripped himself, dumping his dirty and bloodstained clothes in one corner of the bathroom and stepping up to a showerhead. He turned it on as hot as it would go and just stood there. Clean water had been scarce on the streets, and hot water was a luxury the gang hadn't been able to afford. It poured down over him, plastering his red hair dark against his cheeks and back and making blood and dirt run down in rivulets. He squeezed some soap out of the dispenser and started scrubbing, lathering up until his skin felt raw. Then he put the suds in his hair and scrubbed harder. Hot water poured over him again, washing the soap and dirt down the drain, and he sighed with relief. He had forgotten how it felt to be clean.

When he stepped out of the shower at last, there was a nice pile of towels awaiting him. He used one to rub his hair dry, and another for his body. They were white towels, which made him even happier that he was clean. Once he was reasonably dry, he turned to the clothes. There was even a set of underwear and socks on top. Reno pulled the clothes on, still in luxury mode after the hot water. The cloth was way better than what he was used to, though the pants were a little big on him and the sleeves of the shirt hung to his fingertips. He solved that problem by rolling them up, tying his (newly supplied) boots on and tucking the uniform jacket under one arm.

"Hey," he said as he exited the bathroom. The smoothtalking suit guy was leaning against the wall, by all appearances just waiting for him. "I'm ready, yo."

Monty took one look at the kid and cheered triumphantly in his head. Reno cleaned up well … he could even pass for a normal teenage boy with his face and hair clean, if it weren't for those marks on his cheeks. And of course Tseng would have a fit if he saw the untucked shirt and rolled-up sleeves. There was even an appropriate tilt to his posture, a small slouch that said "go on, mess with me, I dare ya."

"Looking good, kid," he said, turning to lead Reno down the hall to the Turks' MD. With any luck, Reno wouldn't even have any lasting diseases or anything incurable. He heard the thud of eager footsteps behind him and permitted himself a smile. At least the student was willing.

"Doctor," he greeted, opening the door to the med ward. "I'm here with the new Turk trainee I spoke to you about. Are you ready for him?"

"Of course." Dr. Katz turned around, looking through her thick glasses at Monty. Monty remembered the good old days when she had been a Turk, but heart problems had retired her early. At least she hadn't disappeared as other "retired" Turks tended to do. "Is this the boy?"

"The name's Reno, lady," Reno growled, pushing his sleeves back. "Hey, I ain't sick, yo. What do I need a doctor for?"

"To make sure you're physically capable of going through Turk training," Monty explained, leading Reno to the examining table. "And to make sure you're not sick."

Reno huffed, unhappy with this development, but if this was what it took … he jumped as the lady doc slid a cold stethoscope beneath his shirt. "Holy shit, that's cold!"

"Language, Reno."

Reno just glared at Monty. The old suit was probably enjoying this. Oh well, at least the doc was quick about it. She took his blood pressure, looked in his eyes and ears and down his throat, tested his reflexes … the whole nine yards. He was getting tired of this whole deal … forget the food, he was fucking tired. A night of no sleep followed by a day of shit, and he was ready for that bed he was promised.

"Now we'll need samples of blood, urine, and semen," Dr. Katz announced as she ran her fingers up and down Reno's spine, checking for abnormalities. "How old are you, Reno? Thirteen, fourteen?"

"I'm gonna be seventeen in winter," Reno answered, straightening up.

"Hmm," Dr. Katz said thoughtfully. "You're underweight, and shorter than you should be … I expect with decent nourishment you have at least several more inches to grow. Off to the bathroom with you now, I'll collect blood when you get back."

Reno hopped off the examining table and sauntered to the bathroom to get the samples. Dr. Katz stepped up to Monty, staring after the boy.

"What do you think?" Monty asked quietly.

"Well, I won't be sure until the bloodwork comes back, but I'd say he's plenty healthy, especially considering where he comes from." She wrote a few notes in Reno's file. "Still, I would like him to gain at least ten pounds before he starts training, and I'll recommend a special diet. Keep him from strenuous activity or unnecessary stress. I expect he'll have to acclimate himself to the relative luxury of living above the Plate."

"Understood," Monty replied. "I had already planned to do most of what you said. He may be tough, but he isn't ready for the intensive training."

They didn't have to wait long before Reno returned, the two small cups in his hand and a smug smile on his face. "Never had to jack off in a cup before, yo."

Dr. Katz refused to roll her eyes, extracting a syringe and rolling Reno's shirt sleeve up higher. Reno's eyes went wide at the sight of the needle, and he flinched away. "What's that?" he asked, his voice high-pitched and fearful.

"I'm just going to draw some blood," Dr. Katz said calmly. She didn't have to look twice to see the scars on his arms. "You don't do drugs, do you?"

"Used to," Reno answered, wincing a little as the needle slid in. "Don't anymore."

"Good." She put aside the small tube of blood and reached for another syringe. She didn't miss Reno's look of fear. "This one is just a vaccine. It will keep you from getting sick."

Reno's jaw tightened as the second needle slid in, but he bore it out without complaint. Dr. Katz taped some gauze over his arm and gestured for him to hop off the table again.

"Well, Reno, I was just telling Monty that you actually seem to be very healthy apart from your malnourishment." She peered steadily at him through her thick glasses. "Because of that, I have recommended that you hold off the physical training until you have gained ten pounds. You will be put on a special diet as well." She narrowed her eyes a little. "I should hope I don't have to advise you to quit smoking and drinking. At your age, it isn't healthy at all."

"Sure, whatever," Reno said airily, yawning into his arm. "Hey, where's a bed, yo? I'm wiped."

"You're not hungry?" Monty asked skeptically.

Reno lifted his eyebrows at the suit. "I was up all night last night. I'm tired, and sleep comes first, yo."

Monty frowned a little as he remembered what Reno had been up to the night before. He would also put in for a psychiatrist for the kid … he needed it, no doubt. Even Turks needed to be mostly sane. Still, if the kid wanted sleep, he could have it. It was getting late in the day anyway.

"Come, then, I'll show you to your room." Nodding slightly at Dr. Katz, he led the way out of the med ward, listening to Reno's firm footsteps behind him. He took them to an elevator and down a few floors to the trainees' dormitories. There weren't many rooms on the dormitory level, mostly because the Turks had always been very selective in choosing who would even enter the training. Though there was an empty room available, Monty had chosen an already occupied room for Reno. He thought maybe some normal company his own age might help the kid adjust to his new life.

"Here you are," he announced, opening the door up for Reno to enter. "Jenkins, this is your new roommate, Reno."

Reno narrowed his eyes skeptically as a tall, skinny kid stood up from a desk, snapping a salute at Monty. What were these guys on? They all acted like they had sticks up their asses, being all polite and snooty and fucking _saluting_ each other. He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. He didn't want to share a room with this kid.

"Hi, Reno, I'm Jenkins," the kid said, adjusting the glasses on his nose. "I guess you're a new trainee?"

"Yeah," Reno said shortly. "I'm gonna get some sleep, yo."

"There's a set of pajamas in your set of drawers," Monty said helpfully. "Jenkins, I expect you to help him get settled in."

"Of course, sir," Jenkins said, snapping another salute. Reno rolled his eyes and climbed into his bed, ignoring the offer of pajamas and falling asleep almost as soon as he was horizontal. Monty shook his head a little and nodded once more at Jenkins before leaving the room.


	10. Chapter 10

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva

**Fandom**: FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: NC17

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: Reno starts his lessons. Will he be able to survive his teachers?

**Author's note**: I think I like messing with Tseng too much…

* * *

Reno was asleep, one foot dangling off the bed and a puddle of drool gathering under his mouth, when the foghorn sounded. He jerked out of sleep with a yell, rolling out of bed and immediately up into a defensive stance, ready to attack something. Jenkins strolled out of the bathroom they shared with the room next door, still wiping at his drying hair. 

"Serves you right for sleeping in on your first day," he said smugly. "They aren't easy on us here."

Reno just growled quietly, pulling his clothes into place and messing with his hair. "They serve food around here?"

"Yeah, of course," Jenkins replied, blinking behind his glasses. "Why wouldn't they?"

Reno shrugged a little, making a quick trip to the bathroom before joining Jenkins again. He flopped on his bed, uncaring of the rumpled state of his clothes.

"Um, there's more clothes in the closet over there," Jenkins pointed out. "They really, really don't like it if you're not clean and dressed right, especially Mr. Tseng. Watch out for him if he sees you dressed as you are."

"Hey, I'm gonna dress however I like, okay?" Reno said, sitting up and staring at Jenkins. "They got you all whipped in here, don't they?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Jenkins said with a small smile. "But it's worth it. You're a pretty tough little guy, huh? I see why they picked you up."

"I ain't little," Reno growled, glaring at Jenkins. "Well, I guess the doc says I am, but who cares? Least I'm gonna get fed out here, yo. What about you, chicken boy? What're you doing here?"

"I was going to try for SOLDIER, but the Turks got me first." A smile spread over his face. "They saw I was too smart to be a grunt, which is true. Anyway, I never would've passed the physical tests. Turks rely less on brute strength and more on pure skill, and I'm much better at that. In here, I get to rewire bombs rather than swing a huge sword around."

Reno smirked a little … okay, so his roommate was a pansy, but at least he was a smart pansy. He could live with a smart pansy.

They were interrupted by a bell ringing through the intercom system. Reno jumped a little, startled off of his perch on the bed. Jenkins chuckled quietly and pulled his suit jacket on. The sleeves weren't quite long enough for his arms.

"Just the breakfast bell," the other boy explained. "It means we're getting fed."

"Oh … right, yo." Reno shrugged, throwing his skinny shoulders back. "Okay, lead the way, chicken boy."

He followed Jenkins down the corridors and to the elevator, down several floors to the mess. The other Turk candidates were already present and receiving their food. Reno fell into line behind Jenkins, his mouth watering at the mountains of food he saw. Before he could reach for any, though, one of the kitchen workers reached out to hold his wrist.

"You're Reno, right?" she asked. "We have a special tray for you." She brought out a tray from beneath the other food, and Reno's mouth watered even more when he saw how it was piled with food.

"Thanks, lady!" he crowed, following Jenkins to sit with the other candidates. He was barely sitting before he started shoveling food into his mouth, pausing hardly long enough to breathe. But despite his hunger and the overwhelming presence of the food, he couldn't stomach more than two thirds before it started threatening to come back up. He pushed the tray away and belched contentedly. Only then did he notice the stares of the people around him. He glared and crossed his arms over his chest, daring them to say anything.

"Why do you have marks on your face?" one of the girls asked, her fork hovering in midair.

"Yeah, and why's your hair so funny-looking?" asked a boy.

Reno scowled at them. "Cuz it makes me look good, yo. Why you starin' at me like I'm a circus freak, huh?"

"Hey, Jasper, Olive, cool it," Jenkins said. "This is my new roomie, Reno. He's a cool guy."

"You're so thin!" exclaimed another girl. "No wonder they gave you so much food!"

Reno scowled at her as well until he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He tilted his head back until he saw Monty's face.

"Good morning, Reno," Monty said amicably. "I hope you slept well?"

"Yeah, until you blew a fucking horn in my ear, yo," Reno grumbled back.

Monty just smiled. Reno ground his teeth with irritation. "Come along," the Turk ordered, pulling Reno out of his seat. "We have much to do today."

"I thought I couldn't start training yet?"

"No, not the official Turk training. But we have other ways to make the time pass."

* * *

Reno shifted his grip on the pencil again, his tongue sticking out with concentration as he diligently copied the figures on the board. He'd spent long enough locked in the room with the sadistic lady Turk he'd beat up on the street that he was getting hungry again, but she'd done everything but strap him to the chair and forced him to copy the letters. She wandered around his desk, chanting that stupid song, "A, B, C, D …" and he was trying to talk himself into getting up and strangling her. 

"Can I eat yet, yo?" he whined, staring at his paper. It looked like chicken scratch. "I'm starving."

She looked at her watch and started circling him again. "Five more minutes."

Reno groaned and put the pencil to paper again. He _hated_ writing, more than he hated anything else. The stupid alphabet should be burned and used as toilet paper.

"Now?"

"Four minutes. Keep copying."

Four minutes stretched like hours, and Reno felt boneless and brainless as he dragged himself back to the mess. Stupid Turks. He didn't want to join if they were going to make him write stuff, and Ms. Sadism had informed him that Turks were expected to write reports on every mission. Still, he wasn't much in the mood for quitting, so he figured he'd give the writing stuff another week. At least he was getting fed for his pains.

He wasn't especially surprised when the kitchen workers handed him another tray loaded with food, and he sat down with Jenkins again. He ate a little slower this time so he could listen to what the other candidates were doing. Apparently, it was the really fun stuff, the shooting-things-and-blowing-shit-up stuff. Reno scowled at his food, wishing he could go with them. He was also starting to get antsy for a cigarette … he'd lost his pack in his old clothes.

After the meal, though, he was led back to the same room he had been in. His instincts told him to cut and run where they wouldn't make him write any more, but he stayed put, determined to give it a chance. To his great relief, Ms. Sadism didn't come back to the room. Instead, it was a tall guy with dark hair and exotic-looking eyes.

"Hello, Reno, my name is Tseng," the new Turk announced. "I will be your tutor in mathematics. Have you ever had any training before?"

"Don't know what the fuck you're talkin' about, yo," Reno replied, putting his feet on the desk. "But hey, I don't care as long as it's not more alphabets."

Tseng just looked evenly at him, noting the slovenly appearance and carefree attitude. He still maintained his opinion that this child should not even be involved in Turk training, but Veld had overruled him. With a sigh, he straightened his papers and began to explain simple arithmetic.


	11. Chapter 11

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva

**Fandom**: FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: NC17

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: A reunion with an old friend. A sweet fluffy chapter for once

**Author's note**: In case you hadn't noticed, I really love Essie.

* * *

It took Reno an entire week to break out of the Turk headquarters. The interim … well, his most common complaint was that it was torture. The Turks seemed to want him at the same level in education with the rest of the candidates, which meant he had approximately ten years of schooling to get caught up on before he could participate in their classes. So it was reading and writing all morning with the lady Turk (he kept calling her Ms. Sadism, even after she told him her name was Venus), and math all afternoon with Tseng, who was just as strict as Venus was. The math actually wasn't that bad … the way the numbers fit together, adding and subtracting and multiplying logically, just worked in his head. But the reading and writing was pure torture. His writing never really improved from chicken scratch, and Venus made him bust his head over simple, boring books.

His spare time, when it wasn't spent eating or sleeping (both of which he did a great deal of), was spent attempting to escape. Though he didn't much like studying, he never planned to leave permanently … he just wanted a way out in case he needed one. That, and he was missing Essie terribly. He had to be sure she was okay after what had happened to the gang.

In the end, it was the air vents. He was still small and skinny enough to shimmy his way around inside, though it was dusty and there were sharp edges he had to watch for. Once he figured out he could fit in, he started exploring, looking for a way out that wasn't closely guarded.

That was how he came to be back in the slums, wearing clothing stolen off a guy he had mugged so he wouldn't have to wear his suit. He was still a little too clean to fit in as he used to, but it was good enough to pass. Hidden in his pockets was enough gil to buy a decent meal somewhere that wouldn't get you poisoned, the money he had liberated from his old clothes before they had been trashed. He walked with his head down, hands in his pockets, a hat on his head to hide most of his unruly red hair.

It took a good amount of wandering the streets to find Essie. She was on a corner far away from where the lair had been, leaning against a lamp post and waiting for a customer to approach. She straightened up when she saw him, though she didn't actually recognize him until he was close.

"Reno!" she exclaimed, throwing herself at him and hugging him tight. In her heels, she was several inches taller than he was, so he was shoved in the uncomfortable, hair-smelling gap between chin and shoulder. He sighed happily and hugged her back, tangling his fingers in her long, black hair.

"Where you been, yo?" she asked, backing off a little to look in his face. "You disappeared after Bones got wasted. No one could find you."

"Cuz I was livin' on the Plate, yo," he answered, pointing up. "C'mon, I'll get you somethin' to eat and tell you all about it." He reached down, squeezing tightly at her hand, and led her down the streets.

"On the Plate?" she asked incredulously. "How'd you get on the Plate?"

"Long story," he said, pulling her into one of the better restaurants and seating them at a table. Essie looked a little uncomfortable, straightening at her clothes and smoothing her hair. Reno sipped at the water that was brought, watching her. "I missed you, yo."

Essie nodded uncertainly, avoiding the waitress's eyes. "You sure we can afford this, yo?"

"Yeah, I've got plenty of gil," Reno said nonchalantly. "Anyway, they feed us real good, I ain't that hungry."

"So, where you been?" Essie asked, leaning forward and speaking quietly. "And why do they feed you good?"

Reno leaned in as well so they could have some privacy. "These guys called the Turks picked me up. I guess they saw me fightin' or somethin' and they want me to fight for them. They're sorta like SOLDIERs, only way better. They get to use guns and shit. And they work for ShinRa, so they have plenty of money to feed us. I even get a real bed all to myself, yo!"

Essie smiled, reaching over to squeeze his hand again. "That sounds real good, Reno. You happy?"

"Eh." He shrugged. "They're making me learn all this shit I don't really need, and that's sorta not cool, but mostly it ain't so bad. I gotta bunk with this kid, Jenkins, and he's all tall and brainy and shit, but he's okay. Everyone walks around with sticks up their asses, especially this Turk called Tseng, but I ain't gonna get like that, yo."

Essie smiled wider, making room for the food when it arrived. "I know you won't, Reno." She started eating, wolfing the food down with the same enthusiasm she had shown when first he had bought her that cheeseburger. Compared with the girls training for Turk, Essie was scrawny and dirty and unimpressive. Her clothes were all third-hand, ragged and stained, and he knew for a fact that her shoes didn't fit. She was a direct opposite to the clean-cut, shiny girls training for Turk, and he loved her for it.

"What about you, yo?" he asked, picking at his food. "Where you been? You okay?"

"Yeah," she said between bites. "I didn't care much about Bones, so I wasn't too messed up. I found some girls who have a room, and I'm stayin' with them for now. It probably ain't anything like what you've got, but the rats ain't too bad and it's got a john, so it's good for me, yo."

"That's good," Reno said, smiling back at her. "So you're okay?"

"Yeah, Reno, I'm fine." She looked up at him, wiping at her mouth with the napkin. "Don't worry about me."

Reno pushed his plate over to her side of the table so she could eat his untouched food. "I was thinkin' … maybe you could come be a Turk with me. Y'know, and get a bed and real food and shit."

Essie looked up from Reno's food, looking hard at him. "An' have to shoot people up? Nah, that's not for me, yo. I'm fine out here, I promise. I've got the girls to look after me, and I don't have to answer to Bones. I'm cool, yo."

Reno frowned a little and picked at the table. "Okay … I just hate not bein' here to watch out for you, Es. I mean, I can sneak out and come see you like this, but it'll only be once in a while, yo."

"I know, Reno," Essie said with a sigh. "But you're gonna be good at this, yo. You already don't look as skinny, they're treatin' you real good. An' I can take care of myself, don't you worry."

Reno nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. Just be careful, yo."

Essie stood up, smoothing her clothes into place and smiling at him. "I will. You gonna hug me goodbye, Turk boy?"

Reno stood, wrapping his arms tight around her waist and nestling his nose against her neck. "Bye, Es. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay, I'll be lookin' for you, yo." She kissed his cheek lightly, right beneath the red mark on his cheekbone. "Adios, corazόn."

With that, she walked out of the restaurant, swaying a little in her heels. With a quiet sigh, Reno left through the other door and made his way back to the Plate and the Turk headquarters.

* * *

"Yes, Tseng, what is it?"

"It's about the new boy, sir, Reno. He … escaped last night."

"Escaped? How did he escape? Have we brought him back yet?"

"He returned on his own, sir. It appears he used the air ducts to exit the building and go back to the slums, where he met with a prostitute."

Veld raised his eyebrows. Apparently he kid hadn't been lying about wanting sex. "A prostitute? And what did he do with her? Who is she?"

"We are uncertain, sir. Though research has speculated that she might be a girl from a missing persons' report filed several years ago, a certain Esperanza Ruiz, known as Essie on the streets. And Reno didn't do anything with her, apart from treat her to dinner."

"Hmm," Veld said thoughtfully. "An old friend, I suppose. Will her guardians care that this missing person has been found?"

"Doubtful, sir," Tseng said with a small frown. "The father was incarcerated for murdering his wife just after the report was filed. But sir, aren't you concerned about Reno escaping?"

"Not at all, Tseng," Veld replied easily. "It just proves to me how valuable this boy may be to us. After all, if he can break into and out of Turk headquarters, then he has a head for this sort of thing. You have been tutoring him, haven't you? How is he performing?"

"Surprisingly well, sir, at least in mathematics. The topic comes easily to him. He is having more of a problem with reading and writing, though Venus assures me that he will improve over time."

"Hmm," Veld hummed again. "How is research coming on his origins?"

"Still unknown, sir. It's almost as if the boy appeared out of nowhere. There's no record of birth, not even a last name. We've found no matches for his genetics in our database. There is some speculation that he is at least partially Wutainese in origin, but I am skeptical on that, sir."

Veld smiled slightly. "You would be. Thank you for the update, Tseng. Be sure to keep me posted on any new developments with the boy."

"Sir," Tseng said with a bow, leaving the office.


	12. Chapter 12

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva

**Fandom**: FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: NC17

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: A shrink and Reno gets some incentive in his studies.

**Author's note**: Ack, I've been gone for so long … I'm very sorry to everyone who's been waiting for this. I'm also sorry it's such a short chapter, but that's just the way the division turned out. But as consolation for both of these, I'll post twice this week. Thanks for putting up with me!

* * *

"So, Reno. How are you feeling today?"

Reno sat sideways in the armchair, his head dangling over one arm and his leg over the other. He was calmly puffing away at a cigarette, not even bothering to look at the shrink they had stuck him with. He didn't need anyone in his head, least of all a stuffy doctor.

"I'm cool, yo," he answered smoothly. He blew a stream of smoke over his knees. "Usual."

"Dr. Katz has informed me you are gaining weight. That is good. Are you excited to be starting your real training?"

"Yeah," Reno said, swinging his legs back and forth. "Can't wait to get a gun in my hands and all. Jenkins says they get to learn some pretty sweet stuff, yo."

The shrink scribbled a little in his notes. Reno rolled his eyes and took another drag. If these Turk guys thought they could get into his head, they had another think coming.

"I thought we could talk about your parents today, Reno. Can you tell me your first memory of your mother?"

"Nope," Reno said, unflustered. "Don't remember much about her. And my old man neither, so don't ask."

"Do you even remember the color of her hair or the way she smelled?"

"Nope."

The shrink stared at him for a long while before closing his notebook. "Reno, I know you don't want to be here. I know you have a very strong sense of privacy. But the Turk administration needs me to provide a psychological analysis on you before you can do anything."

Reno just snorted and snubbed out his used cigarette. "Dunno what I can tell ya, man. I don't remember my folks."

* * *

On Reno's seventeenth birthday, he received a computer. He stared at it suspiciously as he returned from his customary long, hot shower. The black box took up most of his desk, staring blankly back at him. He circled it once, looking it over, before turning his back to get dressed. When he turned around again, it was still there, not doing anything. He curled up at his desk chair, bringing his knees up to his chest and setting his chin on them, just watching it.

Jenkins walked in a few minutes later, raising one eyebrow at Reno. "Hey … uh, what are you doing?"

"Waiting for it to do somethin', yo." Reno stared intently at the screen, waiting for it to do something … anything.

"Well, first you have to turn it on, doofus." Jenkins reached over, switching on the computer and monitor. Reno jumped a little, startled as the machine hummed on. The monitor lit up, and Reno leaned in for a closer look.

"Wow," he muttered, poking at the glass.

Jenkins frowned at him, looking perplexed. "You … have used a computer before, right?"

Reno frowned right back, raising an eyebrow. "An' where would I get a computer, yo?"

"Point," Jenkins conceded. "Want me to show you how to use it?"

Two hours and plenty of explanation later, Reno knew how to use the computer, theoretically, at least. Most of what Jenkins said involved big words that he didn't know yet, and the not-knowing made him grumpy. Also, the key to the entire thing seemed to be the keyboard, which gave Reno some trouble. He still wasn't good enough at the whole reading and writing bit to be good at the typing, and he envied the way Jenkins's hands flew over the keys. He flopped on his bed that night, tired but determined to do better in his studies with Venus, if only for the sake of the computer.


	13. Chapter 13

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva

**Fandom**: FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: NC17

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: Lots of sex. And I get to poke fun at Tseng again.

**Author's note**: As promised, another chapter! And longer, to make up for the shortness of the last update. I really like this chapter for some reason … I dunno, I like Reno being dirty. And as always, Tseng is so easy to poke fun at.

* * *

Reno stuck his head out the window, breathing in the fresh spring air and lighting up his cigarette. Jenkins didn't seem to like it when the room smelled like smoke, and though usually Reno wouldn't have cared less what Jenkins liked, he didn't want to deal with his roommate's bitching.

He sighed, exhaling smoke and staring down at the street far below. The window was easier to reach now. Ever since he had started eating better, he had been growing very quickly. Hardly a day went by when his joints didn't hurt and crack with every movement. The doc seemed pleased, though, and she was going to let him start on the regular Turk classes next week.

Reno scratched at his hair and took another drag. He couldn't wait to start. Math with Tseng had gotten boring … there were only so many times they could go over basic calculus, and supposedly Reno had caught up with his classmates a few weeks ago. And at last he wouldn't have to practice the reading and writing stuff anymore. Venus had reluctantly admitted that he knew enough to get him by, so he'd been outta there quick.

He popped the knuckles of his fingers, slumping against the window sill. The only problem with his life at the moment was that he was really, seriously horny. He'd become well-acquainted with his hand over the past few months, all out of other, better options. All of the female Turk trainees were tough as nails and a little terrifying, and none of the guys had shown any interest, let alone inclination. Reno sighed and leaned a little further out the window. He'd never had to put out any effort in getting sex … he had always gone to Bones when the older boy had asked, the girls were always more than willing, and when he was whoring, the guys had come to him.

'Well,' he thought to himself, straightening up and tossing the cigarette out the window. 'I'll just have to _make_ them interested.'

It took only a few changes, really. He pushed his pants further down on his skinny hips. He left an extra button unbuttoned on his shirt. He made sure his hair didn't look too scruffy. There wasn't much else he could do with his limited costume. He tried a few sultry looks in the mirror before deciding that looked stupid … he was better at improvisation anyway.

Still, it wasn't that surprising that several pairs of eyes followed Reno as he strolled into the mess that night. His walk was usually cocky and self-assured, but he put a little extra glide in it to up the sexy factor. He glanced around as he sat down next to Jenkins, taking note of who was staring. He spoke casually with Jenkins and the others at the table, tilting back once in a while to look at the guys who had stared. He made eye contact with one of them towards the end of the meal, darting his eyes to the hallway and quirking his eyebrow. The guy nodded subtly, and Reno went back to his food.

* * *

"Hey," Reno said, lurking in an alcove in the hallway after the meal. "Thought you weren't gonna make it, yo."

The older guy rolled his eyes a little. "You're one of them new little Turk-trainees, huh?"

"Yeah. Fresh off the streets." Reno tossed his shoulders back and stepped a little closer. "So. You got ten gil?"

"Yeah. It gonna be worth it?"

Reno raised an eyebrow. "Better than any whore you ever had before, yo."

"So show me."

Reno smirked a little, sliding down to his knees and reaching up to unfasten the guy's pants. He pulled them down just enough, breathing hotly. It didn't take much before the guy was hard … clearly ShinRa wasn't into giving anybody sex. Reno held tight to the guy's hips and swallowed, staring up at him and moaning quietly. The guy's eyes slid shut, and his hands flapped for a moment before tangling in Reno's hair. Reno allowed it, closing his eyes and making lewder noises, letting the guy feel his throat a few times. The fingers in his hair tightened, and Reno had just enough time to pull back and prepare to swallow before the guy came, making a muffled grunt against his shoulder.

Reno obediently swallowed it all, opening his eyes and licking his lips. "Mmm," he sighed.

"Hell, kid," the guy gasped, petting Reno's hair as if to soothe it. "You got the best damn mouth I ever had."

"Yeah … don't you forget it, yo." Reno stood slowly, straightening his clothes and holding out his hand. The guy readily passed over the ten gil and fastened up his pants, glancing around before exiting the alcove.

Reno, meanwhile, made a beeline for the bathroom near his room. He made sure it was empty and locked the door before locking himself again inside a stall. Hurriedly, he pushed down his pants and started stroking, tilting his head back and groaning. He kicked the troublesome pants off and rested one hand against the cold tiled wall, supporting himself as he leaned over the toilet.

This felt dirty, so deliciously dirty. It was better than the whoring he'd done before, which had been more about necessity than desire. This was about lust, rutting like animals to get off. It was so dirty, so anti-Turk, to be leaning over a toilet, jerking off with the taste of another guy in his mouth. He spat on his hand and squeezed, moving a little faster. Close, it was so close…

He groaned loudly, resting his sweating forehead on his arm and shooting his load into the toilet. He slowed his hand, then brought it up to his mouth and licked it off. With shivering legs he turned around, sitting on the toilet with a satisfied grin on his face. He thought, in a brief dirty moment, about whether or not there were cameras in the bathroom. There probably were, filming everything they did. Kinky Turk bastards. Reno's grin grew a little wider, wondering if his old buddy Tseng watched the tapes, if he got off on displays like this. Lazily, he held up his fist and extended his middle finger.

"Fuck you," he muttered at whatever hidden camera might be watching. "You know you loved it, yo."

Deciding he'd recovered enough, he stood again and pulled his pants back on. Business-like, he flushed the toilet and went to wash his hands, doing a thorough job of it before unlocking the door to the bathroom and returning to his bedroom.

* * *

"Ah, Tseng. You have an update on the boy?"

"Yes, sir," Tseng said, placing a large file on Veld's desk. "Reno has completed the required education, and is now at a level where he can participate with the other trainees."

"Wonderful. I heard from Venus that he improved greatly in his reading and writing studies after we gave him the computer."

"I suppose. From what I've seen, he still has little more than an elementary understanding of the subject matter, and his writing is chicken scratch."

"We're not trying to make poets of them, Tseng, just Turk operatives. And his performance in mathematics?"

Tseng pursed his lips as though reluctant to speak. "Frankly … I've never seen better. You know I don't dispense such compliments lightly. He's performing at a level that should have taken him years to reach. I was very surprised that he had such a knack."

Veld's eyes glittered with pleasure. "Very good. It seems the Turks have a propensity for finding child prodigies, hmm?" He winked affectionately at Tseng, who barely smiled. "Is there anything else to report?"

Tseng paused, looking down with a perplexed expression on his face. He was desperately willing himself not to blush. "A very … interesting development, sir. Apparently, Reno has decided to start whoring again."

"Whoring? With whom?"

"Some of the older Turk trainees. He's been careful to keep away from students his own age. In any case, he has been accepting money in exchange for – er, sexual favors."

"I see," Veld said, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Shall we put a stop to it, sir? It is very unprofessional."

Veld thought for a long moment, drumming his fingers against his desk. "No," he decided at last. "Let him continue as he is. I am curious to see what he does with the money, and the trainees have at least been discreet about the entire matter. We can stop it if it becomes a problem with the training." Veld shuffled at his papers for a moment before looking up again at Tseng. "Is there something else bothering you, Tseng?"

Tseng shifted a little, still uncomfortable. "He … masturbates. In the bathrooms."

"And how is this unusual? The trainees need some outlet."

"But he does it so lewdly! As though he knows he's being watched and doesn't care … it's so crude!"

Veld narrowed his gaze at his second-in-command. "If watching the boy get off offends your sensitive tastes, Tseng, then you can always turn away from the monitor."

Tseng's cheeks flushed, but he nodded. "Sir," he said with a short bow, leaving Veld's office once again.


	14. Chapter 14

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva

**Fandom**: FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: NC17

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: Another visit to Essie and we learn about how Reno really uses his computer…

**Author's note**: As promised, another chapter! And longer, to make up for the shortness of the last update. I really like this chapter for some reason … I dunno, I like Reno being dirty. And as always, Tseng is so easy to poke fun at.

* * *

Reno tossed the thick wad of gil on the table, smiling at Essie through the smoke of his cigarette. Her eyes went wide, and she scrambled for the money, stuffing it as discreetly as she could down her shirt.

"Reno!" she exclaimed, staring at him in amazement. "How'd you get so much money, yo? This is a fortune!"

"Made it," he said smoothly, sipping at his water. "It's for you."

Essie shook her head in disbelief, still staring at him. "Wow … for me? Why?"

"So you don't have to live a shit life, yo." He took another drag, exhaling calmly away from Essie. The civvies he was dressed in were far more comfortable than that stuffy suit. "Turn down some tricks, take the night off, get some sleep. You know, that good stuff."

"Reno … you shouldn't've." She reached across the table, holding his skinny hand in hers. "But thanks, yo. I always knew you were a real good guy."

He shrugged a little and smiled again. He wouldn't tell her about all the stuff he was learning, like what kind of bullets to use or how to wire a bomb or how to combine chemicals to make the largest explosion. He had a feeling that if he was a "real good guy," he wouldn't be learning how to kill people. And it wasn't just the killing people … it was also the spying and secrecy, how to become someone else or find out everything there is to know about a person. He'd even heard rumors from some of the older trainees that they would learn to extract information by whatever means necessary, and the thought sent a cold excited shiver down his spine. But he wouldn't tell her that. The least he could do was give her a little money so she could have some real food and sleep a little.

He also wouldn't tell her how he got the money by blowing some guys in his spare time. He definitely wouldn't tell her how he got off on that idea. For the whores on the streets, whores like Essie, sex wasn't for pleasure. It sometimes wasn't even willing. It was a matter of survival, of selling the only thing worth anything in order to keep alive. Reno found that idea a little depressing. Sex should be fun, in his opinion, or it wasn't worth it.

But life was life, and Essie had to survive somehow. Reno figured it couldn't be that bad. She could still smile at him and joke with him. She even ruffled at his hair and commented on the fact that he was as tall as she was. He blushed and shrugged and laughed with her, letting her lean on him as he escorted her to one of the nicer bars in the slums. She drank enough that she kept giggling and her eyes were all shiny, and Reno just kept smiling at her.

"I miss you, yo," he said when they left the bar. They were walking down the sidewalk on the way back to Essie's apartment, her wobbling only a little in her heels.

"I miss you too, Reno," she replied, combing her dark hair out of her eyes. "It ain't the same around here without you. But I like it when you visit me."

"Me too," Reno agreed, lighting another cigarette. "Sometimes I wish you could be up there with me, learning all this great stuff, yo."

"I can't," she said, reaching down to hold his hand. "You know I wouldn't be no good. No place for me up there, yo."

"Yeah, I know. Just wishin', you know? It's sorta lonely."

She looked at him, petting his hair again. "I'm sorry, Reno. But I'm glad you're doing good. You deserve it, yo."

Reno just shrugged, hugging her tightly at the front door to her apartment. "Keep safe, yeah? I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Yeah," Essie said as they parted, giving him another smile. "I can't wait. See ya later, yo."

Reno waved over his shoulder, trying to ignore the fact that it would probably be at least a month before he could escape back to the slums. He was growing too quickly, and soon the air vents would be out of the question. He needed a new plan.

* * *

"Okay, yo." Reno sat at his desk, straddling his chair as he typed at the computer. "If you were Mr. Stick-up-his-ass, what would your password be?"

"You mean Tseng?" Jenkins asked, peering through his glasses at his roommate. "Hmm, tough one. Maybe … something from Wutai?"

"What, like rice?"

"Probably not. Try ninjutsu."

"How the fuck do you spell that?"

Jenkins sighed and joined Reno at his computer, typing the word in. The computer flashed, announcing the password was incorrect. Reno frowned deeply at it, thinking. "Well, maybe he doesn't like Wutai very much … he left, right? So maybe he likes ShinRa better, right?" He stared at the screen for another minute before snapping his fingers and typing again.

To Jenkins' surprise, the computer jingled a welcome, allowing them into Tseng's personal records. "No way! You hacked Tseng's computer!"

"Yeah," Reno said, grinning smugly. "Took a lot of work, the fucker's got more protection up than the President himself, but I got in."

Jenkins clapped him on the back, still gaping in awe, and pulled up a seat. "Why'd you do it?"

"I wanna see what they're saying about me," Reno answered, opening up some files and thumbing through them. "You wanna see your stuff too, yo?"

"Sure," Jenkins said, scanning the screen. "Hey, what was his password?"

"ShinRa Junior's name." Reno's smirk grew wider. "I heard he took care of the kid when he was little and Tseng was a new Turk."

"Pretty good for a lucky guess," Jenkins said. "Oh, hey, look there. Those look promising."

"Mmm," Reno agreed, clicking on the file. A listing of all of the trainee profiles popped up, and he thumbed through until he found his own. His picture popped up with a detail of height and weight, followed by various observations by the Turks. His chin jutted out as he read over the psych report … he didn't know what "likely sociopathic tendencies" meant, but it didn't sound flattering. Apparently they thought he was stupid when it came to reading and writing, but he was abnormally good at math. He snorted – like he couldn't have figured that out. He was absorbing the new math like a sponge. He liked the science stuff better, though, the part where he got to learn what plus what made the biggest explosion.

They also seemed to be bothered by the fact that he couldn't remember his parents. There was stuff in his profile about some kind of investigation going on about his background. Reno scoffed quietly. They wouldn't find much of anything … he was a nobody kid off the streets, not some escaped science experiment or anything special. And as far as he could remember, his parents hadn't been special either, just regular johns who got themselves dead because they were stupid.

He flicked over to Jenkins' profile. It was nothing more than what he expected, all the stuff about the guy being a genius, but not too good at fighting or shooting stuff. He pointed this out with a laugh, and Jenkins punched him lightly on the arm.


	15. Chapter 15

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: NC17

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: Reno gets introspective, and Tseng goes boom.

Author's note: I'm sorry I've taken so long getting this up! But for all intents and purposes, Boy Soldier is finished, and I'll be posting it hopefully regularly in the upcoming weeks. Thanks so much for your patience, you guys!

* * *

The first time Reno took a shower with the other male trainees, he couldn't figure out why they were staring at him. He'd always made a point to take his showers alone. For one thing, he liked his showers long and hot, and his head usually went somewhere else when he was under the water. And while he didn't mind being naked around the other boys, he hadn't had much of a chance to do it before. He glanced down at his own body, then compared it to theirs. They had the same parts, arms, legs, dicks, and they even looked mostly the same… 

Except for the scars. Reno ran his hands down his soapy torso. The skin was uneven, rough here, smooth there, but marked with more scars than he dared to count. He glanced down. The oldest ones had faded into white lines of slightly raised skin, paler than the rest of him. The newer ones were still pinkish and angry-looking, at least compared to the skin of the other boys. The majority of Reno's scars lay over his chest and back, though he had a good number on his arms and legs as well. They ran over his skin a little like melted wax, dropped here and there by a careless candle. This one from a bullet, that one from the sharp piece of glass…

He had known, in an abstract sense, that the other boys had grown up in relative luxury. They hadn't been shot at every other day, or stabbed with knives, and if they had then Cure materia was always readily available to cure them of their ills. They probably took it all for granted, the little bastards, and never realized how tough you had to be to take a blow and keep on kicking because it meant life or death.

So he finished his shower quickly, trying to pretend he hadn't noticed the stares, and went back to his room to keep hacking into ShinRa files.

* * *

Veld managed to be surprised when Tseng stormed into his office. Tseng was constantly reserved, professional, and it took a great deal to ruffle his feathers. However, there was no denying that Tseng's feathers were very ruffled. 

"He_hacked_ my _computer_," Tseng hissed, his cheeks flushed with anger. "The little brat broke down my security and _hacked_ my fucking _computer_."

Veld frowned. It was a security risk, to be sure. Due to Tseng's position in the company, there were files on his computer that were confidential to all but the higher-ups. His first instinct was to eliminate the kid. He knew it was Reno already, just by how angry Tseng was, and privately wondered if they could afford the risk of keeping him any longer. It was likely that he had already looked into the files he shouldn't have seen. It would be a death sentence for anyone else, but for Reno…

"Interesting," Veld said at last.

"Interesting? Interesting! It will take months to restore my security, and he is able to view things that are confidential and dangerous! I request permission to eliminate him from Turk training." Tseng was fuming, practically reaching for his gun already.

Veld shook his head, straightening a stack of reports on his desk. "I will allow it, for now."

"But … but sir!"

"Tseng. You will receive technical assistance on replacing your security; I want that done as quickly as possible. But I want to leave certain things visible to him so we can monitor what he does with the information."

Tseng's expression came crashing down, and in an instant he looked miserable. "But … sir…"

"He is too valuable to be eliminated now, and I am impressed with his hacking skills, if not altogether pleased with the development. Continue surveillance, I want to know everything that he sees. Oh, and I think you might need a better firewall, Tseng. You are dismissed."

There was a decided slump to Tseng's shoulders as he exited the office of his superior.


	16. Chapter 16

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: NC17

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: More Turk tests, and helicopters at last!

**Author's note**: As promised, a little more. Sorry for the short filler chapters. There should be stuff with more substance coming up soon. Thanks again for putting up with me!

* * *

"Good morning and welcome to today's lesson."

Reno's eyes followed Monty as he paced before the line of Turk trainees, a small smirk on his face and his posture slouched. It had been months since he'd last seen his smoothtalking buddy, and he was looking forward to the lesson. Whatever it was, it required his gun, so he was there. His gun was a sweet little piece too, not crappy like his old gun had been – she was all sleek and shiny and didn't aim just a little to the left.

"Over the past few months, you have all been tested for skill and ability. Those who are left are those who have shown themselves to have the technical ability to be Turks. Today's lesson is a different one from what you are used to. We know that you are able to shoot a gun. What we want to find today is if you are able to shoot a person."

Monty pressed a button, raising the screen to the shooting range. At the far end sat a sweaty and frightened-looking man, his mouth shut with thick tape. "Shoot this man," Monty instructed calmly.

Reno's gun was the first to go off, followed by several others. All bullets hit the man, though some students had clearly been made nervous enough to be slightly off on their aim. Some of the trainees hadn't even fired their guns, and were staring with perplexed looks on their faces.

Reno felt a thrill run up his spine in time with the snap of the gun. There'd been a corresponding red splatter on the man's white shirt, and he'd slumped down, crying out through the gag. The blood flowed down, joining with the blood loosed from the other bullets, until at last the man stopped moving. Reno watched, dispassionate, though he heard gasps. Perhaps he had just killed one too many guys, but he honestly didn't care about the man sitting in the shooting range. Probably matched with whatever they meant about "sociopathic tendencies" or whatever.

"Those of you who didn't fire your guns, you are dismissed," Monty informed them, opening the door. "The Turks have no need for those who will let their morals get in the way of orders. Those of you who hesitated, which sounded like most of you … you should think long and hard about whether or not a position as a Turk is appropriate for you. Often your assignments will involve taking care of business that your morals may or may not agree with, but above all a Turk is loyal to ShinRa and does as he or she is ordered. If that does not sit well with you, then feel free to join your comrades and exit this room."

Approximately half of the trainees had left the shooting range. Among those left were Reno and Jenkins, though Jenkins was looking a little green around the edges. Reno scoffed quietly. Killing guys wasn't such a big deal; he'd been doing it since he was little. He shared a wink with Monty. It felt good that the older Turk had had faith in him.

* * *

Reno chewed on a cigarette, happily flicking through all of the various switches in the helicopter. After weeks and weeks of training, he was finally going out in a real ride. He didn't even care that much that they were making him go out with an older Turk. He knew how to fly the big machine inside and out, how to check it for sabotage, and especially how to land it. All of the simulations had been especially particular on that point.

"Are you ready, Reno?" the Turk asked, rustling the papers on his clipboard.

"Whenever you are, yo," Reno answered, tossing the cigarette out the window. He left the standard-issue goggles where they were, perched in his hair. It looked stylish, and anyway, they kept the hair out of his eyes. The older Turk made a quiet disapproving noise, but didn't stop Reno from switching on the engine and taking off.

It was just about the best thing ever. Once they got out of the hangar, all Reno could see was land and sky and water and city. He had always wondered what it was like to be a bird, and this was the closest he had ever gotten. He was free and clear and high, and he never wanted to go back to the ground. He had even forgotten about the other Turk in the cockpit before the guy tapped his shoulder and made him adjust his altitude.

Not surprisingly, it turned out Reno had a real knack for flying helicopters. He was given more extensive training so he might someday be fit to run missions that required a helicopter. Reno was just happy that he got to spend so much time up in the air.


	17. Chapter 17

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: NC17

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: At last, fate intervenes! The introduction of Rude, and Reno becomes a real Turk.

**Author's note**: Yay for chapters with substance! I hope you guys like this … I love the interaction between Reno and Rude, though I imagine it must have been rough for the first few weeks. Anyway, here you go!

* * *

"Congratulations," they'd told Reno, handing him a new suit and sending him on his way. He'd been supplied with an apartment, a place all to himself and not too far from the ShinRa headquarters. He knew Jenkins and some of the other recent graduates lived in the same building. Just like the old days.

He wandered around the apartment for a while. It wasn't that big, just one bedroom, a bathroom, and a kitchen connected to a living area. Still, he had it all to himself, so it felt luxurious. Even more luxurious was the fact that he wouldn't have to waste his new Turk paycheck furnishing the place.

He unfolded the suit, wrinkling his nose at it. "Fuck this shit," he said, tossing the tie into the closet where it remained for many years. He stripped of his old suit and put the new one on. The difference was notable – the suit he had worn as a trainee had been standard-issue and getting too small. This one was obviously tailored to suit him personally, with just the right length in the arms and legs and tight enough at the waist that it didn't slip down his skinny hips. With the boots on, he looked – dare he think it – stylish. He tried a few suave looks in the mirror and flipped at his hair before deciding that looked kind of stupid and stripping to enjoy being naked for a while. Of course, he'd turned up the heat so it was nice and warm and he didn't freeze. Eventually, he got tired and slept, but at last it was on his own time and not whenever Jenkins went to bed.

The next morning, he stood with the four newest Turks, Jenkins included. Well, actually, he slouched more than stood, staring evenly at Tseng as he looked them over.

"Reno, where is your tie?"

"Lost it." He shrugged.

"Hmm. Find it and arrive in proper uniform tomorrow."

"Yessir!" Reno said with a grin, swiping a sarcastic salute. The other new Turks snickered quietly.

"As you know," Tseng continued, eyeing the newcomers predatorily, "today you will be assigned to your new partners. With the rare exception, Turks always work with a partner. We have paired you according to interest and skill, trying to cover as many of your numerous weaknesses as we can. You should not need to be reassigned a partner. So make friends, because I will be very irritable if any of you come complaining to me. And don't even think of bothering Veld with something so minor."

With that, he gestured for the more experienced Turks to come in and meet their partners.

Rude disliked Reno instantly. The kid had no tie and his shirt was untucked, probably stained as well with his breakfast. He had a pair of helicopter goggles perched uselessly on top of his impossibly bright red hair. At first Rude thought it must be dyed – no one had hair that color. But upon closer inspection he discovered it was real, and that even his eyelashes were red, though darker than the rest of his hair. He was slouching, and there was a defiant smirk on his lips. Pretty eyes, sort of sea-colored like the clear blue-green ocean near Costa del Sol. Nice lips. The kid was definitely too good-looking to be a Turk. A model, maybe. Or an actor.

Rude rolled his eyes behind his dark shades. Something he had done during his career as a Turk had pissed Tseng off, he was almost sure of it. He kept getting these lazy, good-for-nothing, useless partners that kept getting themselves killed. Reno was just about the straw that broke the chocobo's back, so to speak.

He approached Reno cautiously, not sure what to expect. The kid just grinned wider and stuck out his hand. "Hey, I'm Reno."

"Rude."

Reno frowned, confused. "No I'm not. I just said my name."

"No, I'm Rude."

Reno just grinned and patted Rude on the shoulder. "Now you're being too hard on yourself, buddy. You're not rude, yo."

"No, dipshit, it's my name. My name is Rude." The nerve under Rude's eye twitched warningly.

"Oh, right. Well, cool to meet you. Man, you're a big guy, aren't you?"

Rude frowned. "Didn't you read anything in the file you were given? It should have told you everything you needed to know."

"Skimmed it," Reno said with a shrug. "It was really big and it looked boring."

Rude resisted the urge to smack Reno. That would undoubtedly make Tseng mad. This was going to be a long, long week.

* * *

"So, what are we doing today, partner?" Reno asked, sitting on his knees in his assigned desk chair and spinning like a child. "Do we get to go out and do the fun stuff, yo?"

Rude gave a long-suffering sigh. The kid hadn't stopped bothering him about "the fun stuff" for the entire week they'd been partners. Still, he hadn't set anything on fire or broken any priceless Wutainese vases yet, so he was off to a better start than most of Rude's previous partners. "Yeah, looks like we finally got an assignment," Rude reported. "Low-level though, just to get you in the swing of things. You cool with that?"

"Hell yeah!" Reno said enthusiastically, shifting around until his legs were crossed in the chair. The nerve near Rude's eye twitched again; the kid could not sit normally in a chair to save his life. "When do we leave, yo?"

"Now," Rude replied, rising and straightening his suit. Reno followed, though he left his own suit in its customary disheveled state. Rude had given up on changing his partner's habits of dress and hair, and even Tseng had seemed to accept it.

The job really was low-level, just requiring a little muscle in case things got out of hand. Despite cracking his usual inappropriate jokes on the ride over, Reno behaved himself surprisingly well. He looked appropriately scary, and when things did get out of hand, he kept his head and calmly did as he had been trained. The situation was resolved quickly and with minimal mess. Reno stood up from where he had been taking cover behind a table and grinned at Rude, who was staring back with surprise.

The kid had done so well that Rude took him out for a few drinks that night, even though he was pretty sure the kid was underage. Something like that wouldn't stop Reno, though, and together they got a pretty good party going. Somehow, Rude wasn't surprised when he looked to find Reno later in the night and saw the redhead tongue-wrestling with one of the women from the bar, his hand resting on her stomach beneath her shirt. He resolved not to say anything about it when Reno arrived at the office the next morning looking more ruffled and sated than usual.


	18. Chapter 18

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: NC17

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: Just more stuff. Essie's back!

**Author's note**: I am a bad, bad author. I'm sorry to have left this alone for so long, and I will try my hardest not to do so again. The upcoming chapters get pretty intense, so … consider this the calm before the storm. Hope you like!

* * *

It was with new attitude that Reno strutted down the street in the slums, looking for Essie. He was a real Turk, no longer just a trainee, and he was fully qualified to use the EMR attached to his wrist. He even whistled a little, and didn't care when people gave him odd looks.

"Hey, Es," he called as he approached her. "Long time no see."

"Reno!" she cried, latching herself around his neck. "Look at you, all grown up! Spiffy suit you've got, yo."

"Yeah, it's my new uniform," he explained, preening a little. He directed Essie down the street and away from some of the other girls who had started to give them dirty looks. "Up for dinner or somethin'?"

"Sure, Reno," she said, wrapping an arm around his waist to steady herself. "I look like a classy lady now, I bet, strutting around with my very own Turk…"

Reno chuckled and squeezed her shoulders. "Yup. You know you're always classy to me, Es."

Essie laughed merrily and tugged at his hair. "You're a charmer, Reno. Now stop lyin' out your ass and buy me some food."

They made their way to one of the nicer restaurants, and Reno spent a good portion of his first real paycheck on a good meal for Essie. It made him feel good just to be around her and listen to her kind voice, chattering away about things that didn't mean life or death.

"I ain't seen you much lately, yo," she pointed out over the meal. "You been busy?"

"Yeah, really busy," Reno answered. "A lot of it is classified, though, so I'm not supposed to talk about it."

"But you're doin' okay, right? You're not getting hurt?"

"Nah, I been hurt lots worse," he reassured her with a grin. "I really like it, Es. It's good work for me."

She smiled brightly at him, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "That's good, Reno. I'm happy for you."

He paused for a moment, then reached across the table to hold her hand. "You sure you won't come live up on the Plate? I could set you up, get you a place. You wouldn't have to live here no more. You could get real work. I wouldn't have to worry about you."

Essie looked at him, slowly pulling her hand away. "I told you, Reno, it's no place for me. I've … I've got friends here. This is just fine, I'm doing okay." She smiled, trying to reassure him. "Don't worry about me, yo."

Reno frowned a little, but he dropped it. He wasn't about to force Essie to move if she didn't want to, but he couldn't stop worrying about her.

"Hey," he said at the end of the night, taking her arm gently. "Hey, at least let me help you out, okay?" He thrust a thick wad of money into her hands and kissed her cheek. "Okay?"

"Reno…" she sighed, clutching the money tightly. "Thanks, yo. It does help. You're a good guy, you know."

"Yeah, you keep telling me so. Take care, Es."

"Come see me again before too long, Turk boy."


	19. Chapter 19

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: NC17

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: A longer chapter … well, a lot had to happen. There is more smut, sort of. And … yeah. Just read it, you'll see.

**Author's note**: Okay, just a little bit more calm before the storm. Or maybe this is the storm, depending on how you see it. But I like this chapter, and I hope you guys do too!

* * *

Time seemed to pass quickly for Reno. He rose steadily in the Turk ranks, due mostly to the fact that when he was enjoying himself, he did very well. There could be no doubt that he was enjoying himself: he liked the life of secrecy and sneaking around. He was good at it. He also liked beating people up, especially if they really deserved it.

He was getting along well with Rude too, which was more than a little confusing to them both. Neither of them were friendly, but that seemed to be what sealed their friendship. They understood each other in some odd way, so much so that sometimes they didn't even need to communicate verbally. And they were certainly closer than Rude had ever been with any of his previous partners.

Reno didn't get many chances to go see Essie. He was very busy with Turk business, and when he wasn't, he was busy having fun up on the Plate. There were bars, restaurants, clubs, and girls everywhere. He had stopped whoring at ShinRa … there was no need for it anymore, what with his new and improved income and plenty of people who were willing to have sex with him with no money involved. Still, he found time to see Essie at least every few months to give her a good meal and some money. She was always grateful and happy to see him, but he could feel them growing apart. They no longer had much in common, and it was painful for him to watch her in a lifestyle that was eventually going to kill her. He told her so multiple times, trying to convince her to move up to the Plate, but she refused to go. Eventually he gave up and left her to her life, though he never stopped giving her money.

He had been a Turk for about a year and a half when he and Rude were assigned to an extended mission in Wutai requiring espionage, reconnaissance, and possible assassination. To say Reno was excited would be an understatement … he couldn't wait to go, to see a distant exotic land and meet different people and eat different food. He was a little nervous about leaving Essie alone for such a long time, but he pushed that worry away. She could take care of herself. Still, he was sure to take her out to an especially good dinner the night before he left so he could say goodbye.

"Wow, Wutai?" she asked between bites, staring at him in wonder. "How're you getting there?"

"Airship, boats. It'll be awesome." As usual, Reno spent most of the time just watching Essie eat and picking at his own food.

"You're excited?"

"Oh yeah. I can't wait. Rude and I are going to kick ass so hard."

Essie smiled widely, kicking lightly at his foot under the table. "I've still gotta meet him someday, yo. I can't believe you never introduced us."

"Well, he's a quiet guy," Reno explained. "And sorta shy, though he'd shoot me if he heard me say it. Not that he wouldn't like you, he just takes a while to warm up."

"He sounds like a good guy." She held up her drink. "To Reno and Rude, for luck in Wutai being badass Turks."

"Cheers!" Reno agreed, clinking his glass with hers and taking a long swallow. They had both had more than a little to drink, and the restaurant was starting to be happily fuzzy around the edges.

"Hey, Es," Reno said after a while, once they had made their way through a huge piece of chocolate cake.

"Yeah?"

"Come back to my place tonight. Just … come see what it's like up on the Plate. I'll get you back tomorrow. Please, yo?"

Essie yawned quietly behind her hand, blinking sleepily at him. "I guess I could. Least you'll have a nice bed, right?"

"Yeah, of course." He paid their bill and led her out and over to his car, the both of them leaning on the other to keep their balance. Essie giggled a little and reached down to take off her heels, dangling them in her hand as they walked along. Reno settled his hand warmly on her shoulder, noticing that she was several inches shorter than he was without the heels.

Miraculously, they made it back to Reno's apartment without causing many major accidents, though Reno thought he might have driven over a trash can. In any case, no one had been injured, there would be no lawsuits filed, and he even succeeded in parking and finding his house keys. Somehow, he also found Essie's lips, her hair, and the hooks to her bra.

She gasped against his mouth, surprised but not resistant. "Reno, what…"

"Es," he sighed, pulling her closer and breathing her in. "Sorry, I dunno…"

She stroked his hair, tilting his head until she could look into his eyes. "We're drunk…" she pointed out, slowly reaching around and petting his back beneath his shirt.

"Yeah," he agreed, maneuvering them over to the bedroom and lifting her shirt a little.

"You okay, yo?" Her lips tasted like lipstick and traced red smears over his pale skin.

"Yeah, how 'bout you?" He let her fall on top, hands settling lightly on her backside to press her close.

"I'm cool…" She peeled his clothes away with professional ease, tracing his melted-wax scars with gentle fingertips.

"Fuck," he moaned into her mouth, tangling one hand in her dark hair. "Es…"

"Shh, I'm here," she whispered, pulling her shirt off and putting his hands on her breasts. "C'mon, Reno, it's cool."

He rolled them, hovering over her and tracing the lines of her ribs with his fingers. "Es, just tell me…"

"Yeah?"

"Never mind." He bit lightly at her neck, exploring her gently with his fingers. Her legs were spreading beneath him, and there was still no resistance. He kissed all over her face, fingers still busy. Though she moaned and writhed, he couldn't help but wonder how much of it was Essie and how much was the whore…

"Shouldn't be like this," he muttered darkly, frowning as he kissed her.

"Ain't gonna get no better," she replied, pulling his hips closer again. "C'mon, Reno…"

He pushed in, still moaning into her mouth. Her legs wrapped around his waist, her skinny body arching against his, and she sighed contentedly. She held him tight as he moved, petting his hair just as she had when they were children in need of comfort.

He couldn't tell why it felt so different. He'd been with plenty of girls, but none of them had ever been like Essie, who was a prostitute and half-starving and so beautiful. He cared more about her than anyone else he could think of, and that felt natural. So it felt very different from most of the other sex he had.

When he finished at last, it was with a gasped sob that sounded like Essie's name. She kept holding him close, gently touching his hair and his face and kissing him so lightly he almost didn't feel it. He returned the feather-kisses and pulled out, shutting his eyes and keeping her close with every intention of sleeping.

But sleep didn't come. Even long after her breathing had evened out and she was limp in his arms, he could find no peace. He peeled himself away, smoothing the hair out of her eyes and making his way to the bathroom. He leaned over the sink, trying to pin down what exactly was troubling him.

"C'mon, you bastard," he muttered at his reflection. "What's wrong with you? You're no coward. She's just Essie … just Essie, yo."

He took a deep breath. The fact that she was just Essie seemed to make all the difference. With a hand that shook only a little bit he poured himself some water, drinking deeply before he headed back to bed. Essie hadn't moved, though her dark hair was tangled in her face again. He smiled a little and brushed it from her eyes before settling in to hold her close for the rest of the night.

* * *

Reno awoke the next morning when his alarm went off bright and early. He carefully got out of bed so as not to wake Essie, quickly getting ready for the day ahead. Still damp from his shower, he gathered up the clothes he had packed earlier and a few toiletries. He was eager to go, but for a different reason now. The sooner he left, the sooner he would be back, the sooner he could be back with Essie. He knew what he wanted now, he wanted the scent of her hair in his bed and her warm body pressed against him, he wanted to give her anything she could ever need.

He was eating a quick breakfast when she came out again, wearing one of his white button-downs and a pair of his boxers. She was still yawning and combing the hair out of her face, and he watched, thinking there was nothing more beautiful in the world.

"Hey, yo," she murmured, bending to kiss him on the cheek and sitting near him. "You sleep okay?"

"Yeah, I slept fine, Es," he replied, unable to stop smiling at her. "You look good in my underwear."

She blushed, pulling her hair around to start a braid. "They're comfy, yo."

"You want some coffee?" he asked, already getting up to pour her a cup. "I've got milk and sugar and stuff too…"

"Sure." She picked at the food remaining on his plate, watching him. "Last night was kinda fun, yo."

"Yeah," he agreed, bringing her mug back. "Hey, I'm sorry if I was … I didn't mean…"

"I know, Reno. It's all cool." She sipped at her coffee, smiling at him over the rim of the mug. "You're a real sweetie."

"I want to give you everything, Es," he admitted, leaning in passionately. "Everything, anything you've ever needed. I want you to come live with me."

Essie leaned over, giving him a light kiss. "I've got everything I want right here. You don't gotta do nothing."

"But I want to. And I'm gonna. Soon as I get back, okay? When I get back from Wutai, I'm gonna find you, and I'm gonna come take you away and you'll never have to worry about anything again." He pulled her into a deeper kiss, brushing at her hair.

"Reno…" she sighed, pressing against him, coffee forgotten.

He held her close, kissing her as much as he could. "I've gotta go, Es. Here's some money to get you back, okay? You gotta take good care of yourself while I'm gone. Promise me."

"I promise," she said quietly, combing her fingers through his hair. "Come back in one piece, Turk boy. I'll be waiting for you."

He kissed her once more, picked up his bags, and walked out of the apartment. Rude was going to have a fit when he heard…


	20. Chapter 20

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: NC17

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: The shit hath hitteth the fan … eth.

**Author's note**: Please don't hurt me too bad…

* * *

When the higher-ups of the Turks said "extended mission," they meant_extended_ mission. Reno and Rude didn't return to Midgar for four months, and they were both eager to get away from the spying and the secrecy and the humidity. Reno was particularly twitchy on the way back. He had barely stopped thinking about Essie the entire time he had been in Wutai, and there was a small ring sitting heavy in his pocket, waiting for her. If he was going to go through with what he wanted to do, he was going to do it right.

"You okay, partner?" Rude asked, noticing yet another twitch.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Reno replied, though he kept tapping at his armrest and chewing in his lip.

"Ready to get back to your girl?"

"Yeah, definitely." Reno stilled for a moment, smiling dreamily. "She'll like it, right?"

"She'll like it, don't worry. Should I drop you off in Sector 7?"

"If you wouldn't mind, yo." Reno fluffed nervously at his hair, one hand digging into his pocket to feel the little velvet box with the ring in it.

He practically launched out of the car when it stopped in the Sector 7 slums, taking a deep breath. It felt wonderful to be back on his home turf again, rather than in Wutai, and he felt immediately more confident. He waved at Rude through the smoked glass windows to the car and started down the road.

It took quite some time to reach Essie's usual haunt, which gave Reno plenty of time to plan out what he was going to say when he found her. He just hoped it didn't all turn to gibberish when it actually came out. Spotting some whores off in the distance, he ran his fingers through his hair once more.

"Hey," he said as he walked up.

They looked him over, wondering if he was a possible client, how much money he had, but before they could decide that he wasn't worth their time, he spoke again.

"You girls know where I can find Essie, yo?"

The girls frowned. "Who?" one of them asked.

"Essie Ruiz. She used to work around here. She's got, uh, long dark hair, and brown eyes…"

"Oh yeah, Essie," another of the girls said, nodding with recognition. "Yeah, we knew her. Ain't seen her in weeks, yo."

"Oh, that one?" the first girl asked. "Thought I knew her name. Hey, wasn't she the one who…"

"Yeah," the girl said, shooting a sad glance at Reno. "There's … rumors, you know. We heard she got knocked up, and then she went to take care of it like usual, but the doctor did somethin' wrong. We heard she's dead, yo."

The word echoed in Reno's head, and the world went blank and quiet for a while. Distantly, he felt the girls walk up to him, touching him gently, asking if he was alright. He shrugged them off as he walked away, hardly caring where he went or who he bumped into.

Dead. It had to be wrong, it couldn't be true. She had told him she would wait for him. She was supposed to be right there, smiling and happy and alive…

After a while, he couldn't see anymore, so he sat down against a dirty wall, his face in his hands. When he pulled his hands away, they were wet with tears, but for a moment all he saw was blood covering his hands. He started sobbing helplessly, scrubbing his hands against his pants and sucking in deep breaths between gasps and cries. He sobbed until he felt empty and used up, and the velvet box in his pocket felt unbearably heavy. He picked it up and let it drop … let someone find it, someone who needed it.

"Hey."

Reno's musing was interrupted by a deep, powerful, nearly monotone voice, and he looked half-gratefully up at Rude.

"C'mon, kid," Rude said, sticking out his hand. "I'll get you home."

Reno sniffed, wiping his wet and snotty face on his sleeve and accepting Rude's hand up. "Yeah," he said, though his voice was a ghost of what it usually was. He was silent through the entire car ride to Rude's house, his normally expressive face blank and unreadable and stained with tears. For the first time in almost two years, Rude was worried about his partner.

He practically had to steer Reno into his apartment, putting some spare clothes into his arms. "Here, kid," Rude said patiently, pulling Reno over to the couch. "You sleep over here tonight."

Reno didn't bother to make a reply as he stripped off his suit and pulled on Rude's borrowed clothes. They were far too big, but that didn't seem to bother him as he stretched out on Rude's couch. Rude spent a few more worried moments watching him before disappearing back into his room to get some sleep for himself.

* * *

When Rude woke up the next morning, Reno was already awake, his hands folded behind his head while he stared at the ceiling.

"Hey, kid," Rude greeted, reaching over to brush the bright red hair out of Reno's eyes. "How're you doing?"

Reno shrugged a little and sat up, joining Rude at the table and pulling the hood of the sweatshirt over his hair. "Hard to say," he said honestly, watching Rude make breakfast. "Not good, not bad. Just kinda numb."

Rude nodded sympathetically and handed over some toast. "Makes sense."

"How'd you find me?"

"Followed you." Rude lifted an eyebrow at him. "You don't think I'm gonna leave my partner alone like that, do you?"

Reno chuckled a little, though there was no feeling in the sound. "I'm gonna kill him, Rude. Hurt him and kill him for what he did to her. This doctor, he messed with the wrong whore."

Rude just nodded, sighing quietly and passing Reno some coffee.


	21. Chapter 21

Title: Boy Soldier

**Title**: Boy Soldier

**Author**: Neldluva ()

**Fandom**: FFVII

**Pairings**: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

**Rating**: NC17

**Don't read this if you don't like**: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

**Disclaimer**: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

**What you can expect from the fic overall**: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

**What you can expect from this chapter**: A very, very intense torture scene. Reno is, after all, a Turk, and you just shouldn't fuck with a Turk…

**Author's note**: Yes, Reno scares even me sometimes. But fear not, the story is not over, even though this is technically the last chapter. I plan to have more in this arc coming soon. A huge thank you to everyone who has read and/or reviewed! You guys have supported me through more than a year of posting this story, and I think it's turned out quite well! Please let me know what you think, I always love knowing how you guys respond.

* * *

As soon as Reno was functional enough to return to the Turk offices, he set about plotting his revenge. Someone had hurt Essie, and he fully intended to hurt them right back. He just had to find the doctor who had killed her. And with his connections as a Turk, that would not be a difficult task.

Rude must have mentioned something about Essie to Tseng, for to Reno's surprise, Tseng had no problem with him taking a little more time on his own to search for his target. Tseng even managed to look sympathetic and assigned Reno less work to compensate for the time he'd be spending elsewhere. So he began to spend most of his work day below the plate, haunting the slums and searching for information. He drilled the whores about doctors, asked around for even the unlicensed guys. He spoke to the girls Essie had known best to see where she might have gone.

It took a couple of months. The doctors knew their works was mostly illegal and frowned upon by society, and so they were good at hiding. But at last, Reno was able to find the hiding place of the poor fucker who had killed Essie, and he plotted his revenge.

* * *

Dr. Gonzales was tied to a chair when Reno entered the room. The redhead wore a grim, slightly manic smile. Good. Just how he wanted him. The sorry bastard was whimpering quietly and shifting in his seat, trying to loosen the handcuffs and rope that bound him. He couldn't make any better noise because his mouth was taped shut. His skin glistened, oily, sweaty, melting beneath his limp hair.

"Hey," Reno greeted, slowly pulling off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves. "You probably don't know me, huh? Well, you're gonna end up knowing me real well. See." He started pulling out various instruments: pliers, knives, clamps, displaying the most sadistic fun toys ever. "You sort of hurt the best thing in my life. Hurt her so bad she died. So I'm gonna make you hurt so bad you'll wish you were dead. But I'm not gonna kill ya, not until I'm good and sure that you want her alive too."

Dr. Gonzales whimpered again, a weak pathetic noise out of his nose, and tried to edge away from the tools Reno displayed.

Reno got up close, straddling his lap and running a knife along the man's cheekbone. "Rule number one," he whispered into the doctor's ear, an obscene mockery of a lover's gesture. "Never mess with a Turk."

Dr. Gonzales made a sound that would have been a scream, struggling harder as Reno's knife pierced the muscle of his shoulder. The blood started to flow, staining his shirt red and making the air smell like copper.

Reno smiled and twisted the knife slightly. "No passing out on me yet … we've barely started."

He picked up the pliers next. He used them to dig up Dr. Gonzales's fingernails enough to get a grip on them and yanked them out, one by one, ignoring the muffled screams of pain. He dropped the discarded nails to the floor and let the bloodied hands dangle. Blood had spattered his shirt and arms, staining them as red as his hair. "How's that, huh?" he asked, shifting his hips in the doctor's lap. Another obscene mockery. "I bet you're thinking you hurt enough to pass out, maybe enough to die. You'd be surprised how long it takes to get to that point. No, no, you don't reach your limits until your body's ready to give up, your heart seizes up and your limbs freeze and your lungs don't work. That's when you can't take any more." His hands traced down Dr. Gonzales's torso, caressing fondly. His voice dropped, taking on a husky note. "I ain't gonna let you get there, you son of a bitch. You're gonna suffer until I damn well give you permission to end your miserable life."

He climbed off of Gonzales's lap and picked up his EMR, swinging it lightly against his leg. "You know what this is? It's an electro-magnetic rod. If I turn it on high, this sucker could fry your brains before you could even take a breath to scream. If I turn it on nice and low, it'll cook you slowly and give a few burn marks to go along with it."

He reached out and ripped Gonzales's shirt open, displaying his flabby, sweaty chest. Gonzales shook his head, protesting, but Reno had already set the tip of the rod against his sternum. Gonzales went still, his teeth clenching behind the gag as the electricity ran through his body. Reno smiled again, that half-insane grin that was so frightening. He pulled the rod back after a few moments to give Gonzales a chance to regain his breath, turning it off and tapping it against his leg again.

* * *

The room smelled like torture: piss, shit, blood, burned flesh, sweat, fear. At some point, Gonzales's bladder and sphincter had given up on him, making the room stink even more. His face was the precise shade of gray that living faces weren't supposed to be, as though his body already thought he was a corpse. Blood dripped into his eyes and down to the tape, and he breathed painfully through his broken nose. Reno stood over him, blood reaching his elbows and wetting the knees of his pants and spattered across his face. He wore the crazed face of a reaper who liked his job.

"This's been a fun time, Gonzales," he drawled, straddling Gonzales's lap again and rubbing his face with the muzzle of his gun. "You having fun too? Looks like it. Shit, look at that. Look just like your old lady when I did her in."

A spark of life glimmered in Gonzales's eyes, and he glared at Reno.

Reno smirked back and nodded. "Oh yeah, I wasted her. And your boys too. It was nice and quick, don't worry, bullets to the back of their heads. Your lady was pretty, too, sad waste and all. Dunno what she was doing with a sack of shit like you."

Gonzales stirred, trying to get Reno out of his lap, but Reno just dug his bony hips down.

"Uh-uh," he said, shaking his head. "Not gonna get rid of me that easy. Anyway, you like me here, huh? Sick fuck." He tilted his head, licking his gun from butt to tip. "Mmm. Bet your old lady sucked your cock real good, huh?"

Gonzales tossed a little and shook his head, avoiding Reno's eyes.

Reno wrenched his face back and ripped the tape off his mouth, rubbing the gun against his lips. "C'mon, big boy, suck it. Suck it like she sucked your cock. Suck it like you like it."

Gonzales made the mistake of opening his mouth to draw a deep, rattling breath. Reno took the chance and shoved the muzzle of the gun past his lips. His grin grew wider as Gonzales choked and coughed around the cold metal.

"C'mon, there," he murmured in Gonzales's ear. "I know you can suck it better than that. Suck it well enough and I just might blow your brains out."

Gradually, still protesting the presence of the gun, Gonzales started moving his mouth on it. He was obviously inexperienced, and Reno scoffed. It was like watching a virgin. Still, it was amusing to watch the man try to save his life. At last, Reno pulled the gun away, wiping it on Gonzales's pants with a look of disgust.

"M-Mercy," Gonzales said hoarsely, his voice broken with the screams that had been contained by the tape. "Please, mercy. Let me die…"

Reno raised his eyebrows, grinning again. "That's what you want, huh? You really want me to blow your brains out?" He shoved the gun up against the underside of Gonzales's chin, caressing the trigger fondly. Gonzales's eyes went wide with sudden fear. "You forget what I told you before, huh? You want her alive as badly as I do?"

"I don't … I don't know who…"

"Bullshit. You're a pathetic waste of skin and blood, you know that? I think I'm done with you." Without even flinching, Reno pulled the gun away from Gonzales's chin and shot him in the thigh, right through the big artery there. Gonzales's scream echoed through the room, piercing and shrill like a dying rabbit. Reno got up and walked over to the door, leaving Gonzales to struggle and whimper through the pain of bleeding out.

When Rude met him outside with a damp towel, Reno was covered in blood. His clothing was irreparably stained, and it freckled over his face and smeared over his nose. There was a cold, hollow sort of look in his bright eyes, and little expression on his face. For the first time, Rude was afraid of his partner. "Hey," he said quietly, holding out the towel.

"Fuck off," Reno muttered, though he took the towel and began to wipe off his arms and face.

"Day's over, partner," Rude said, starting to lead Reno away. "Time to go home."

* * *

"You had something to report, Tseng?"

"Sir. Reno has completed his interrogation, and Dr. Gonzales is dead."

"Excellent. Let Reno have some time off, I think … send him on a nice vacation. Somewhere not Wutai."

"Sir," Tseng said, bowing deeply before leaving the office.


End file.
